Battery charging system
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for charging a plurality of batteries, said apparatus comprising:
- means for reading at least one parameter associated with each of said batteries;
means, coupled to the reading means, for determining which of said batteries has the highest charging priority based on said battery parameter or parameters; and
means responsive to the determining means for charging said highest priority battery before other batteries in said plurality.
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Abstract
A system for sequentially charging a plurality of batteries initially interrogates each battery to determine the battery type and the level of charge. The charging system prioritizes the batteries to be charged from most to least fully charged and charges the batteries in that order. The charging is provided by pulsed current during sequential portions of periodic intervals to charge the batteries in a short period of time and utilize the battery charger to full or nearly full capacity.
238 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus for charging a plurality of batteries, said apparatus comprising:
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means for reading at least one parameter associated with each of said batteries; means, coupled to the reading means, for determining which of said batteries has the highest charging priority based on said battery parameter or parameters; and means responsive to the determining means for charging said highest priority battery before other batteries in said plurality. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An apparatus for charging a plurality of batteries having less than full charge, said apparatus comprising:
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means for determining the approximate state of charge of each of said batteries to be charged; means coupled to the determining means for assigning each of said batteries a priority based at least in part on the state of charge determined by said determining means with a highest priority corresponding to the battery having the most charge through a lowest priority corresponding to the battery having the least charge; and means for charging each of said batteries in accordance with the assigned priorities. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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16. An apparatus for charging a plurality of batteries including a substantially discharged battery and a nearly fully charged battery, said apparatus comprising:
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means for determining the states of charge of said substantially discharged battery and said nearly fully charged battery; and charging means for delivery to said substantially discharged battery, during one subinterval of each of a multiplicity of periodic intervals, a pulse of higher than rated current yielding approximately rated charging current on the average to said substantially discharged battery, and delivering to said nearly fully charged battery during another subinterval of each of said multiplicity of said periodic intervals, a pulse of higher than rated current yielding an equalization current on the average to said nearly fully charged battery to equalize the charge of cells in said nearly fully charged battery, said pulse of current in said one subinterval being substantially greater in duration than said pulse of current in said other subinterval, and said one subinterval not overlapping said other subinterval to minimize the peak current requirement of said charging means. - View Dependent Claims (17)
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18. An apparatus for charging a plurality of batteries including a substantially discharged battery and a nearly fully charged battery and for maintaining the charge of a fully charged battery, said apparatus comprising:
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means for determining the states of charge of said substantially discharged battery, said nearly fully charged battery and said fully charged battery; and charging means for delivering, during periodic intervals, approximately rated charging current on the average to said substantially discharged battery, delivering, during said periodic intervals, an equalization current on the average to said nearly fully charged battery to equalize the charge of cells in said nearly fully charged battery, and delivering, during said periodic intervals, a trickle current on the average to said fully charged battery to prevent said fully charged battery from discharging over time, and wherein said charging means includes means for delivering pulses of higher than rated charging current to said substantially discharged battery, said nearly fully charged battery and said fully charged battery during respective subintervals of said periodic interval. - View Dependent Claims (19)
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20. An apparatus for charging a plurality of batteries including a substantially discharged battery and a nearly fully charged battery, said apparatus comprising:
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means for determining the states of charge of said substantially discharged battery and said nearly fully charged battery; and charging means for delivering, during periodic intervals, approximately rated charging current on the average to said substantially discharged battery, and delivering, during said periodic intervals, and equalization current on the average to said nearly fully charged battery to equalize the charge of cells in said nearly fully charged battery; and
whereinsaid charging means includes means for delivering a pulse of approximately constant, higher than rated charging current to said substantially discharged battery during one subinterval of every periodic interval, and a pulse of approximately constant current to said nearly fully charged battery during another subinterval of every "N" periodic intervals where "N" is an integer greater than one.
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Specification