Battery charger with booster pack

• US 6,788,025 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2002
• Issued: 09/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Midtronics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Midtronics Incorporated
• Inventors: Vonderhaar, J. David, Bertness, Kevin I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Rajnikant B
• Application Number:
  US10/177,635
• Publication Number:
  US 20030011344A1
• Time in Patent Office: 809 Days
• Field of Search: 320/103, 320/104, 320/105, 320/107, 320/111, 320/112, 320/134, 320/139, 307/66, 324/110, 324/109, 324/156
• US Class Current: 320/104
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/03 for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems or for circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• 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 2310/46 for ICE-powered road vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034

Abstract

An apparatus and method for supplying energy to a vehicle battery is provided. The apparatus includes a positive connector that couples to a positive terminal of the vehicle battery and a negative connector that couples to a negative terminal of the vehicle battery. A battery charger applies a charge signal to the vehicle battery through the positive and negative connectors to thereby charge the vehicle battery. A jump-start booster pack, coupled to the battery charger, can optionally provide starting energy to the vehicle battery through the positive and negative connectors. The booster pack can be charged by the charge signal.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing energy to a vehicle battery:

a positive connector configured to couple to a positive terminal of the vehicle battery;

a negative connector configured to couple to a negative terminal of the vehicle battery;

a battery charger configured to apply a charge signal to the vehicle battery through the positive and negative connectors to thereby charge the vehicle battery; and

a jump-start booster pack, coupled to the battery charger, which is configured to provide starting energy to the vehicle battery through the positive and negative connectors, and to receive a charging signal from the battery charger,

wherein the battery charger and the jump-start booster pack are integrated, and wherein the battery charger is configured to apply the charge signal to the vehicle battery, via a mode selection switch, when the jump-start booster pack is electrically isolated from the vehicle battery by the mode selection switch.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the starting energy form the jump-start booster pack is provided by an internal booster battery.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising battery testing circuitry configured to test the vehicle battery and the internal booster battery.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the internal booster battery is a Valve Regulated Lead Acid battery.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the internal booster battery is a Thin Metal Film Lead Acid battery.

6. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein an auxiliary alternating current output is provided from the internal booster battery.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the auxiliary alternating current output is provided from the internal booster battery via an inverter.

8. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein an auxiliary direct current output is provided from the internal booster battery.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a rental meter.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the rental meter includes an hour meter.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the rental meter includes a cycle counter for an internal booster battery.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the rental meter includes a code-protected resetting mechanism.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising support posts, coupled to a housing, around which cables can be wrapped.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 configured to provide a boost charge signal to the vehicle battery, the boost charge signal is a combination of the charge signal from the battery charger and the starting energy from the jump-start booster pack.

15. The apparatus of claim 2 configured to receive an external charging signal from the vehicle battery and to provide the external charging signal to the internal booster battery.

16. The apparatus of claim 2 configured to receive an external charging signal from a vehicle alternator and to provide the external charging signal to the internal booster battery.

17. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the internal booster battery comprises a maintenance indicator.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the positive connector is a first Kelvin connector and the negative connector is a second Kelvin connector.

19. Aft method of providing energy to a vehicle battery:

(a) coupling a positive connector to a positive terminal of the vehicle battery;

(b) coupling a negative connector to a negative terminal of the vehicle battery;

(c) providing a battery charger configured to apply a charge signal to the vehicle battery through the positive and negative connectors to thereby charge the vehicle battery; and

(d) providing a jump-start booster pack, coupled to the battery charger, which is configured to provide starting energy to the vehicle battery through the positive and negative connectors, and to receive a charging signal from the battery charger,

wherein the battery charger and the jump-start booster pack are integrated, and wherein the battery charger is configured to apply the charge signal to the vehicle battery when the jump-start booster pack is electrically isolated from the vehicle battery.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising providing a boost charge signal to the vehicle battery, wherein the boost charge signal is a combination of the charge signal from the battery charger and the starting energy from the jump-start booster pack.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the coupling steps (a) and (b) are carried out using a first Kelvin connector and a second Kelvin connector.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein the starting energy form the jump-start booster pack is provided by an internal booster battery.