Multimeter with charging system

• US 8,395,351 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2011
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Tong, Song-Lin, Luo, Qi-Yan
• Primary Examiner(s): Fantu, Yalkew
• Application Number:
  US13/069,392
• Publication Number:
  US 20120161694A1
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• Field of Search: 320/106
• US Class Current: 320/106
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/2503 for measuring voltage only, e.g. digital volt meters (DVM's) G01R19/2506 - G01R19/257 take precedence

Abstract

A multimeter includes a main body, two probes extending from the main body, a battery unit arranged in the main body, and a charging system arranged in the main body and configured for charging the battery. The charging system includes a microcontroller with an external input voltage sampling circuit, a battery voltage sampling circuit and a voltage regulator circuit each electrically connected the microcontroller. The microcontroller compares sampled signals from the external input voltage sampling circuit and the battery voltage sampling circuit, and controls the voltage regulator circuit to regulate the external input voltage to be applicable to the battery based on the comparison.

Claims

1. A multimeter, comprising:

a main body;

two probes extending from the main body;

a battery unit arranged in the main body; and

a charging system arranged in the main body and configured for charging the battery unit, the charging system comprising;

a microcontroller;

an external input voltage sampling circuit electrically connected to the microcontroller, and configured for sampling an external input voltage from the probes;

a battery voltage sampling circuit electrically connected to the microcontroller, and configured for sampling a voltage of the battery unit; and

a voltage regulator circuit electrically connected the microcontroller, wherein the microcontroller compares the sampled external input voltage and the sampled voltage of the battery unit, and controls the voltage regulator circuit to regulate the external input voltage to be applicable to the battery unit based on the comparison.

2. The multimeter of claim 1, wherein the voltage regulator circuit comprises a voltage booster circuit and a voltage bleeder circuit in parallel connection to the microcontroller, the voltage booster circuit configured for boosting the external input voltage when the external input voltage is too low to be applicable to the battery unit, and the voltage bleeder circuit configured for bleeding the external input voltage when the external input voltage is too high to be applicable to the battery unit.

3. The multimeter of claim 1, wherein the charging system further comprises a charging current monitoring circuit electrically connected to the microcontroller and electrically coupled to the voltage regulator circuit and the battery unit, and configured for monitoring magnitude of the charging current and sending out a monitoring signal to the microcontroller to adjust the charging current.

4. The multimeter of claim 3, wherein the charging system further comprises a solid state relay driving circuit electrically connected to the microcontroller and electrically coupled to the voltage regulator circuit and the battery unit, the microcontroller controls the solid state relay driving circuit to activate or stop the charging process.

5. The multimeter of claim 1, wherein the charging system further comprises a charging mode selectable circuit comprising a first charging mode circuit and a second charging mode circuit in parallel connection to the microcontroller, the first charging mode circuit and the second charging mode circuit each configured to send out a corresponding battery type information to the microcontroller to activate the charging process.

6. The multimeter of claim 5, wherein the main body has two switchable keys separately arranged on a surface of the main body, the switchable keys corresponding to the respective first and second charging mode circuits.

7. The multimeter of claim 5, wherein the battery type includes micro pulse current rechargeable alkali batteries and continuous current rechargeable batteries.