Battery charger having charging completion indicator

• US 5,289,102 A
• Filed: 06/25/1992
• Issued: 02/22/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Toya, Shoichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Peckman, Kristine L.
• Application Number:
  US07/903,745
• Time in Patent Office: 607 Days
• Field of Search: 320/31, 320/32, 320/35, 320/36, 320/39, 320/40, 320/48, 320/22, 320/23, 320/24, 320/20
• US Class Current: 320/148
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007194 of the battery
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 320/19 Charger status, e.g. voltmeter

Abstract

A battery charger includes a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of a battery, a charge completion sensor for detecting a fully charged state of the battery, a controller for controlling the charging of the battery, and a display. The controller starts the charging of the battery when the temperature sensor detects a temperature of the battery lower than a predetermined temperature and temporarily suspends charging of the battery whenever the temperature of the battery detected by the temperature sensor rises above the predetermined temperature. When either the temperature sensor has detected a temperature above the predetermined temperature a predetermined number of times or the charge completion sensor detects the fully charged state of the battery, the controller displays a charge completion indication on the display.

Claims

1. A battery charger comprising:

a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of a battery;

a charging completion sensor for detecting a fully charged state of said battery;

means for controlling a charging of said battery, said controlling means starting the charging of said battery when said temperature sensor detects a temperature of said battery lower than a predetermined temperature, said controlling means temporarily suspending the charging of said battery when said temperature sensor detects a temperature of said battery higher than said predetermined temperature, and said controlling means stopping the charging of said battery when said charging completion sensor detects said fully charged state of said battery;

means for displaying a charging completion indication when said temperature sensor detects a temperature of said battery higher than said predetermined temperature a predetermined number of times and

when said charging completion sensor detects said fully charged state of said battery.

2. A battery charger as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a charging power source for rectifying commercial alternating power to supply a charging current to said battery.

3. A battery charger comprising:

a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of a battery;

a charging completion sensor for detecting a fully charged state of said battery;

means for controlling a charging of said battery, said controlling means suspending the charging of said battery when said temperature sensor detects a temperature of said battery higher than a first predetermined temperature, said controlling means restarting the charging of said battery when said temperature sensor detects a temperature of said battery lower than a second predetermined temperature, said second predetermined temperature being lower than said first predetermined temperature, and said controlling means stopping the charging of said battery when said charging completion sensor detects said fully charged state of said battery; and

means for displaying a charging completion indication when said temperature sensor detects a temperature of said battery higher than said first predetermined temperature a predetermined number of times.

4. A battery charger as claimed in claim 3, further comprising a charging power source which rectifies commercial alternating power to supply charging current to said battery.

5. A battery charger comprising:

a charging power source for supplying a charging current to a battery;

a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of the battery; and

means for controlling the battery charger, said controlling means including;

means for starting the charging of the battery when the temperature sensor detects a temperature below a predetermined temperature;

means for suspending the charging of the battery when the temperature sensor detects a temperature of the battery above the predetermined temperature;

means for restarting the charging of the battery when the temperature sensor detects a temperature of the battery below the predetermined temperature; and

means for displaying a charging completion indication when charging of the battery has been suspended a predetermined number of different times.

6. The battery charger according to claim 5 further comprising

a charging completion sensor for detecting said fully charged state of said battery, and wherein said means for displaying a charging completion indication displays said charging completion idication when charging of the battery has been suspended a predetermined number of different times and

when said charging completion sensor detects said fully charged state of the battery.