Charger

• US 8,633,824 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2010
• Issued: 01/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Miwa, Tatsuya, Kubota, Atsumasa, Iwamura, Norihiro, Okada, Masaaki, Tsuruta, Naoki, Ikeda, Masaki
• Primary Examiner(s): MCNALLY, KERRI L
• Application Number:
  US12/659,867
• Publication Number:
  US 20100245099A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,399 Days
• Field of Search: 340/635, 320/107, 320/132
• US Class Current: 340/635
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0049 Detection of fully charged condition

Abstract

A charger for an electric power tool includes a charging unit for charging a secondary battery detachably attached to the charger; a notification unit for notifying an operation state of the charging unit by using a combination of a turn-on and turn-off of the notification unit; a brightness reducing unit for reducing a light brightness of the notification unit; and a controller for controlling the notification unit and the brightness reducing unit. If an operation state of the charging unit satisfies a specific condition, the controller controls the brightness reducing unit to reduce the light brightness of the notification unit.

Claims

1. A charger for an electric power tool, the charger comprising:

a charging unit for charging a secondary battery detachably attached to the charger;

a notification unit for notifying an operation state of the charging unit by using a combination of a turn-on and turn-off of the notification unit;

a brightness reducing unit for reducing a light brightness of the notification unit; and

a controller for controlling the notification unit and the brightness reducing unit,

wherein, if a predetermined time has elapsed during one of one or more predetermined operation states of the charging unit without change, the controller controls the brightness reducing unit to reduce the light brightness of the notification unit,

wherein said one or more predetermined operation states do not include a charging completion state and an abnormal state.

2. The charger of claim 1, further comprising a brightness reducing time changing unit for changing the predetermined time.

3. The charger of claim 1, further comprising a brightness adjusting unit for adjusting a reduced light brightness of the notification unit.

4. The charger of claim 1, wherein, if the operation state of the charging unit is changed while a notification is given by reducing the light brightness of the notification unit, the controller recovers to an original level of the brightness from the brightness thereof reduced by the brightness reducing unit;

and controls the notification unit to notify the changed operation state.

5. The charger of claim 1, wherein, if the charger is in a specific operation state, the controller controls the brightness reducing unit not to reduce the light brightness of the notification unit.

6. The charger of claim 1, further comprising a body sensor for sensing a human body,

wherein, while the human body is sensed by the body sensor, the controller controls the brightness reducing unit not to reduce the light brightness of the notification unit.

7. A charger for an electric power tool, the charger comprising:

a charging unit for charging a secondary battery detachably attached to the charger;

a notification unit for notifying an operation state of the charging unit by using a combination of a turn-on and turn-off of the notification unit;

a brightness reducing unit for reducing a light brightness of the notification unit; and

a controller for controlling the notification unit and the brightness reducing unit,

wherein, if an operation state of the charging unit satisfies a specific condition, the controller controls the brightness reducing unit to reduce the light brightness of the notification unit,

wherein, if a predetermined time has elapsed during the operation state without change, the controller controls the brightness reducing unit to reduce the light brightness of the notification unit, and

wherein the charger further comprises a brightness reducing time changing unit for changing the predetermined time.

8. The charger of claim 7, further comprising a brightness adjusting unit for adjusting a reduced light brightness of the notification unit.

9. The charger of claim 7, wherein, if the operation state of the charging unit is changed while a notification is given by reducing the light brightness of the notification unit, the controller recovers to an original level of the brightness from the brightness thereof reduced by the brightness reducing unit;

and controls the notification unit to notify the changed operation state.

10. The charger of claim 7, wherein, if the charger is in a specific operation state, the controller controls the brightness reducing unit not to reduce the light brightness of the notification unit.

11. A charger for an electric power tool, the charger comprising:

a charging unit for charging a secondary battery detachably attached to the charger;

a notification unit for notifying an operation state of the charging unit by using a combination of a turn-on and turn-off of the notification unit;

a brightness reducing unit for reducing a light brightness of the notification unit; and

a controller for controlling the notification unit and the brightness reducing unit,

wherein, if an operation state of the charging unit satisfies a specific condition, the controller controls the brightness reducing unit to reduce the light brightness of the notification unit,

wherein the charger further comprises a body sensor for sensing a human body, and

wherein, while the human body is sensed by the body sensor, the controller controls the brightness reducing unit not to reduce the light brightness of the notification unit.

12. The charger of claim 11, further comprising a brightness adjusting unit for adjusting a reduced light brightness of the notification unit.

13. The charger of claim 11, wherein, if the operation state of the charging unit is changed while a notification is given by reducing the light brightness of the notification unit, the controller recovers to an original level of the brightness from the brightness thereof reduced by the brightness reducing unit;

and controls the notification unit to notify the changed operation state.

14. The charger of claim 11, wherein, if the charger is in a specific operation state, the controller controls the brightness reducing unit not to reduce the light brightness of the notification unit.