Charger

• US 3,959,706 A
• Filed: 08/20/1974
• Issued: 05/25/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mabuchi Motor Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Mabuchi Motor Company Limited
• Inventors: Mabuchi, Kenichi, Tsuchimochi, Yoshihisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Budd, Mark O.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hickey, Robert J.
• Application Number:
  US05/498,985
• Time in Patent Office: 644 Days
• Field of Search: 320/2-7, 320/15-19, 320/35, 320/36, 320/25, 136/181
• US Class Current: 320/103
• CPC Class Codes: F21L 4/08 characterised by means for in situ recharging of the batteries or cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A portable charger, together with its accessory devices, is disclosed which has incorporated a circuit such that when the cell to be charged is mounted thereon, a discharge circuit will be closed to clear the residual charge in the cell to be charged and then, by pressing a push button manually, the cell will be charged.

Claims

1. A charger comprising, in combination, a first case provided with a cell receiving space for mounting therein one or more cells to be charged, a charging circuit, a discharging circuit and a manual change-over switch for controlling the charging and the discharging circuit for one or more cells to be charged mounted in said cell receiving space, said manual change-over switch comprising a push button, a movable contact member having a space therein and a resilient piece movable upon depression of said push button and a fixed contact member resiliently supported and positioned in the space in said movable contact member, and a second case releasably coupled to said first case, said second case containing a plurality of source cells serving as the charging power source for the cell to be charged, said change-over switch having a normally closed contact to make the discharging circuit for the cell to be charged and a normally open contact to make the charging circuit for the cell to be charged.

2. A charger as claimed in claim 1, further provided with an indicator means responsive to the voltage across or current through the cell to be charged mounted, whereby to indicate the degree of at least one of the discharged and the charged conditions of the cell to be charged.

3. A charger as claimed in claim 2, in which said indicator means is inserted in series with the cell to be charged.

4. A charger as claimed in claim 1, in which said plurality of power source cells contained in the second case is arranged with their axes parallel so as to form a space therebetween constituting a storage pocket for the cell to be charged.

5. A charger as claimed in claim 4, in which partition plates for positioning the power source cells are provided in the interior space of said second case.

6. A charger as claimed in claim 4, in which a cylindrical spare cell storing pocket is extending vertically upward from the bottom of the second case in the interior space thereof.

7. A charger as claimed in claim 6, in which said cylindrical spare cell storing pocket has an opening penetrating the bottom of the second case.

8. A charger as claimed in claim 1, in which the first case has engaging holes of different sizes and the second case has engaging portions of different sizes corresponding to said engaging holes for coupling said first and second cases to each other.

9. A charger as claimed in claim 1, in which the first case is provided in its lower marginal part with first engagement positioning portions prepared asymmetrically, and the second case is provided in its upper marginal part with second engagement positioning portions corresponding to said first engagement positioning portions for coupling said first and second cases to each other.

10. A charger as claimed in claim 1, in which said cell receiving space of the first case has a groove of such a width as to admit the positive terminal of the cell to be charged, with a terminal set in said groove.

11. A charger as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of said first and second cases is deformable and including elastic terminal pieces secured to the lower surface of the first case, and means to couple the first and the second cases together, said coupling means becoming disconnected by the elastic action of said terminal pieces upon deformation of at least one of the first and the second cases.

12. A charger as claimed in claim 11, in which the first case is provided with engaging holes and the second case is provided with engaging portions, said engaging portions being adapted to fit in said engaging holes from inside.

13. In a charger as claimed in claim 1 comprising in combination with the first case and the second case, a light housing having an illuminating lamp therein which may be energized from said power source cells.

14. A charger as claimed in claim 13, in which the light housing includes conductive terminals to contact electrically with the terminals of the power source cells which are exposed from the upper surface of the first case to which the light housing is fitted and fixed.

15. A charger as claimed in claim 13, in which the light housing is attached to the lower face portion of the second case.

16. A charger comprising, in combination, a first case provided with a cell receiving space for mounting therein one or more cells to be charged, a charging circuit, a discharging circuit and a manual change-over switch for controlling the charging and the discharging circuit for one or more cells to be charged mounted in said cell receiving space, and a second case for containing a plurality of source cells serving as the charging power source for the cell to be charged, at least one of said first and second cases being deformable said change-over switch having a normally closed contact to make the discharging circuit for the cell to be charged and a normally open contact to make the charging circuit for the cell to be charged, said charger further including elastic terminal pieces secured to the lower surface of the first case, and means to couple the first and the second cases together, said coupling means becoming disconnected by the elastic action of said terminal pieces upon deformation of at least one of the first and the second cases.

17. A charger as claimed in claim 16, further provided with an indicator means responsive to the voltage across or current through the cell to be charged whereby to indicate the degree of at least one of the discharged and the charged conditions of the cell to be charged.

18. A charger as claimed in claim 17, in which said indicator means is inserted in series with the cell to be charged.

19. A charger as claimed in claim 16, in which said plurality of power source cells contained in the second case is arranged with their axes parallel so as to form a space therebetween constituting a storage pocket for the cell to be charged.

20. A charger as claimed in claim 19, in which partition plates for positioning the power source cells are provided in the interior space of said second case.

21. A charger as claimed in claim 19, in which a cylindrical spare cell storing pocket, extends vertically upward from the bottom of the second case in the interior space thereof.

22. A charger as claimed in claim 21, in which said cylindrical spare cell storing pocket has an opening penetrating the bottom of the second case.

23. A charger as claimed in claim 16, in which the first case has engaging holes of different sizes and the second case has engaging portions of different sizes corresponding to said engaging holes for coupling said first and second cases to each other.

24. A charger as claimed in claim 16, in which the first case is provided in its lower marginal part with first engagement positioning portions prepared asymmetrically, and the second case is provided in its upper marginal part with second engagement positioning portions corresponding to said first engagement positioning portions for coupling said first and second cases to each other.

25. A charger as claimed in claim 16, in which said cell receiving space of the first case has a groove of such a width as to admit the positive terminal of the cell to be charged, with a terminal set in said groove.

26. A charger as claimed in claim 16, in which the first case is provided with engaging holes and also the second case is provided with engaging portions, said engaging portions being adapted to fit in said engaging holes from inside.

27. In a charger as claimed in claim 16 comprising in combination with the first case and the second case, a light housing having an illuminating lamp therein which may be energized from said power source cells.

28. A charger as claimed in claim 27, in which the light housing includes conductive terminals to contact electrically with the terminals of the power source cells which are exposed from the upper surface of the first case to which the light housing is fitted and fixed.

29. A charger as claimed in claim 27, in which the light housing is attached to the lower face portion of the second case.

30. A charger as claimed in claim 16, in which said manual change-over switch is a push-button switch comprising a push button, a movable contact member having a space therein and a resilient piece movable upon depression of said push button, and a fixed contact member resiliently supported and positioned in the space in said movable contact member.