Battery booster with preconditioning and temperature compensation

• US 6,380,712 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2001
• Issued: 04/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Curtis Quinter, Kenneth C. Murphy
• Original Assignee: Curtis Quinter, Kenneth C. Murphy
• Inventors: Murphy, Kenneth C., Quinter, Curtis
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Peter S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LUK, LAWRENCE W
• Application Number:
  US09/829,810
• Publication Number:
  US 20010035733A1
• Time in Patent Office: 385 Days
• Field of Search: 320/107, 320/104, 320/101, 320/103, 320/137, 320/139
• US Class Current: 320/107
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/122 Provisions for temporary connection of DC sources of essentially the same voltage, e.g. jumpstart cables
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0069 Charging or discharging for charge maintenance, battery initiation or rejuvenation

Abstract

A self-contained emergency battery charger for use in motor vehicles for charging a fully or partially discharged starter storage battery which delivers current to a starter motor of the vehicle. The batter charger contains a preconditioning circuit to preconditions a discharged battery before applying a full charging current from a charged second battery to the discharged battery. The battery charger also contains a temperature circuit which adjusts the time of charging whereby the time for providing power from the second battery is increased or decreased in relation to the second battery'"'"'s temperature.

Claims

1. A self-contained emergency battery booster for charging, through a vehicle'"'"'s cigarette lighter receptacle, a fully or partially discharged vehicle storage battery which delivers current to a starter motor of the vehicle, comprising:

a housing having a rectangular shape with a front, back, two sides, a top and a bottom, said housing having an auxiliary power tap adapted to draw power from a charging battery for non-vehicle battery charging purposes, said housing having an opening through which a power cord passes, said auxiliary power tap forming an auxiliary circuit formed with the charging battery, said tap being comprised of a female receptacle terminating centrally along its central longitudinal axis in a positive lead, said positive lead being electrically connected by means of an electrical line to a charging battery positive terminal, said receptacle being electrically connected to a common ground connected to a charging battery negative terminal, said auxiliary power tap auxiliary circuit having a positive temperature coefficient resistor between the charging battery negative terminal and the common ground;

said charging battery within said housing providing a charging battery output, said charging battery having a nominal terminal voltage equal to or less than the nominal voltage of the vehicle'"'"'s storage battery, said charging battery having said positive terminal and said negative terminal;

first switching means within said housing connected to said charging battery positive terminal, said first switching means being comprised of a three-way switch adapted to electrically connect the charging battery positive terminal to one of three nodes, a charge node, an OFF node, and a recharge circuit, said connection to said charge node establishing a circuit whereby the charging battery and a boost converter circuit charge the vehicle storage battery through said cigarette lighter receptacle, said connection to said recharge node establishing a circuit whereby the charging battery is recharged from said vehicle storage battery through said cigarette lighter receptacle, and said connection to said OFF node electrically opens said charging battery positive terminal;

said boost converter circuit within said housing connected to said first switching means and adapted to derive energy from said charging battery wherein said boost converter circuit provides an additional 2 to 3 volts output to said charging battery output;

means for connecting said charging battery output and said booster circuit output to said vehicle storage battery, said means comprising said power cord terminating in a male receptacle adapted for insertion into said vehicle'"'"'s cigarette lighter receptacle, said male receptacle having a cylindrical housing electrically connected to said charging negative terminal thereby forming said common ground and a positive lead formed centrally along a central longitudinal axis and connected to said boost converted circuit;

indicator means mounted on said housing adapted to indicate the charging status of the charging battery and the vehicle storage battery;

wherein said charge node circuit is comprised of;

a second capacitor electrically in parallel to the charging battery wherein a positive terminal of said second capacitor is electrically connected to said switch charge node and a negative terminal of said second capacitor is connected to said common ground;

a first resistance network comprised of two resistors in series electrically connected in parallel with said second capacitor;

a resistance-capacitance network comprised of a resistor and third capacitor in series, said resistance-capacitance network being electrically connected in parallel with said first resistance network;

said booster converter circuit comprised of;

an inductance having an input terminal and an output terminal, said input terminal being electrically connected to the second capacitor positive terminal, a first resistance network positive node, and a resistance-capacitance positive node;

a first diode having a positive terminal and a negative terminal, said positive terminal being connected in series with said inductance negative terminal, said first diode negative terminal being connected to the positive lead of the power cord male receptacle; and

a second switch having a primary terminal and two secondary terminals, one of said secondary terminals being positive and the other being negative, said secondary terminals being adapted to jointly connect to said primary terminal or being jointly disconnected from said primary terminal, said positive secondary terminal being connected to said inductance output terminal and said negative secondary terminal being connected to said common ground; and

a second switch control means adapted to operate said second switch;

a second resistance network comprised of two resistors in series, said second resistance network interconnecting said first diode negative terminal to said common ground; and

a first capacitor, having a positive terminal and a negative terminal, connected in parallel to the second resistance network wherein said first capacitor positive terminal is electrically connected to a second resistance network positive node, and said first capacitor negative terminal is attached to common ground;

wherein said first diode negative terminal, said second resistance network positive node, and said first capacitor positive terminal are electrically connected to the positive lead of the power cord male receptacle;

wherein said power cord male receptacle is inserted into said cigarette lighter receptacle thereby establishing an electrical connection among the first capacitor positive terminal, the first diode negative terminal and a second resistance network positive node, and the vehicle battery positive terminal, and thereby establishing an electrical connection between the vehicle battery negative terminal and said common ground;

a preconditioning circuit comprised of a block resistor in parallel with a power MOSFET connected between a charging battery negative terminal circuit and the common ground.

2. A battery booster as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a temperature circuit comprised of a thermistor placed in series with the resistance-capacitance network resistor.

3. A battery booster as recited in claim 2, wherein:

said block resistor has a resistance in the range of 1 to 4 ohms, and a watt rating of from 8 to 12 watts.

4. A battery booster as recited in claim 3, wherein:

said thermistor is adapted to increase in resistance when ambient temperature decreases.