Method and system for charging multi-cell lithium-based batteries
DC CAFCFirst Claim
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1. A battery charger, comprising:
- a housing;
at least three terminals including a positive terminal, a negative terminal, and a sense terminal to electrically connect to a power tool battery pack supported by the housing, the battery pack including a plurality of lithium-based battery cells, each battery cell of the plurality of battery cells having an individual state of charge; and
a controller operable to supply a charging current to the battery pack through at least one of the positive terminal and the negative terminal, the controller being operable to control the charging current being supplied to the battery pack based at least in part on the individual state of charge of at least one battery cell,wherein each battery cell of the plurality of battery cells is individually tapped such that the controller is operable to monitor the respective individual state of charge thereof via the sense terminal.
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Abstract
A method and system for charging multi-cell lithium-based batteries. In some aspects, a battery charger includes a housing, at least one terminal to electrically connect to a battery pack supported by the housing, and a controller operable to provide a charging current to the battery pack through the at least one terminal. The battery pack includes a plurality of lithium-based battery cells, with each battery cell of the plurality of battery cells having an individual state of charge. The controller is operable to control the charging current being supplied to the battery pack at least in part based on the individual state of charge of at least one battery cell.
103 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A battery charger, comprising:
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a housing; at least three terminals including a positive terminal, a negative terminal, and a sense terminal to electrically connect to a power tool battery pack supported by the housing, the battery pack including a plurality of lithium-based battery cells, each battery cell of the plurality of battery cells having an individual state of charge; and a controller operable to supply a charging current to the battery pack through at least one of the positive terminal and the negative terminal, the controller being operable to control the charging current being supplied to the battery pack based at least in part on the individual state of charge of at least one battery cell, wherein each battery cell of the plurality of battery cells is individually tapped such that the controller is operable to monitor the respective individual state of charge thereof via the sense terminal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An electrical combination, comprising:
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a power tool battery having a battery temperature and including a battery housing, a plurality of lithium-based battery cells supported by the battery housing, each battery cell having an individual state of charge, and at least three battery terminals supported by the battery housing and electrically connected to the plurality of battery cells, the at least three battery terminals including a sense terminal, each battery cell of the plurality of battery cells being individually tapped such that its respective individual state of charge is monitorable; and a battery charger including a charger housing, at least three charger terminals to electrically connect to the at least three battery terminals, the at least three charger terminals including a charger sense terminal, and a controller operable to supply a charging current to the battery through at least one of the at least three terminals, the controller being operable to control the charging current being supplied to the battery based at least in part on an individual state of charge of at least one battery cell monitored via the charger sense terminal. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
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12. A battery charger, comprising:
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a housing; at least three terminals including a positive terminal, a negative terminal, and a sense terminal to electrically connect to a power tool battery pack supported by the housing, the battery pack including a plurality of lithium-based battery cells, each battery cell of the plurality of battery cells having an individual state of charge; and a controller operable to supply a charging current to the battery pack through at least one of the positive terminal and the negative terminal, the controller being operable to control the charging current being supplied to the battery pack based at least in part on the individual state of charge of at least one battery cell, wherein the individual state of charge of at least one battery cell is communicated to the controller via the sense terminal. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification