Charge maintenance and continuous charging for storage batteries

• US 4,237,411 A
• Filed: 09/11/1978
• Issued: 12/02/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Varta Batterie AG (Michael Tojner, PhD, LLD)
• Original Assignee: Varta Batterie AG (Michael Tojner, PhD, LLD)
• Inventors: Strasen, Gunter, Kothe, Hans K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hickey, Robert J.
• Application Number:
  US05/941,231
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 320/20, 320/21, 320/22, 320/35, 320/36
• US Class Current: 320/139
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007194 of the battery

Abstract

After-charge current is supplied at intervals T for periods T_N at intensities determined by the prevailing battery temperature.

Claims

1. A method of charge maintenance and continuous charging of storage batteries, and particularly of nickel cadmium batteries with sinter plates, through periodic supplying of charge quantities with predetermined programmed relationships, the method comprising

supplying to the storage battery at predetermined substantially uniform intervals T a current I_L lasting for an also predetermined substantially uniform after-charge period T_N, the intensity of said current being determined by the prevailing storage battery temperature ν

so as to increase with increasing temperature and decrease with decreasing temperature.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein

the charge quantities are supplied by a DC current with ripples, and whose arithmetic average corresponds to the temperature-controlled charging current I_L.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein, during any given after-charge period T_N, the current I_L of intensity determined by the storage battery temperature is supplied only until a limiting voltage U₃ is reached, and

thereafter the charging is continued at the said limiting voltage U₃ with decreasing current up to the end of the given after-charge period T_N.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein

the after-charge period T_N has a duration of between 0.5 and 10 minutes per interval T.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein

the interval T has a duration of about one hour.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the value of the current I_L is approximately 10I₁₀ at 40°

C.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein

the battery is an open alkaline storage battery, and

the duration of the portion of the after-charge period T_N during which the current intensity I_L is determined by battery temperature progressively decreases.