Method of charging batteries

• US 7,570,023 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2007
• Issued: 08/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aeneas Energy Technology Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Aeneas Energy Technology Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Tsai, Wen-Ping, Yu, Zong-Long, Hsu, Deng-Hsien
• Primary Examiner(s): Ullah; Akm E
• Assistant Examiner(s): TORRES RUIZ, JOHALI ALEJANDRA
• Application Number:
  US11/652,545
• Publication Number:
  US 20080030168A1
• Time in Patent Office: 935 Days
• Field of Search: 320/116, 320/118, 320/119, 320/120, 320/121, 320/122, 320/130, 320/132, 320/134, 320/136, 320/157, 320/162, 324/426, 324/433, 324/434
• US Class Current: 320/132
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0525 Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/441 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0014 Circuits for equalisation of charge between batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

In a method of charging batteries, a microcontroller and a series divider resistor are used to control the level of a charge current source supplied from a power supply, so that a plurality of serially connected batteries in a battery pack could be best charged. The microcontroller detects a voltage value of the battery pack via the series divider resistor. When all the batteries in the battery pack have been charged in a first charging cycle, the microcontroller controls the power supply to lower the output charge current and to charge the batteries in a second charging cycle, until the charge has been cycled a preset number of times. As a result, all the serially connected batteries in the battery pack are best charged.

Claims

1. A method of charging batteries, comprising the following steps:

(1) Form a battery pack from a plurality of serially connected batteries, and serially connect the battery pack to a power supply;

(2) Form a series divider resistor by serially connecting a first divider resistor to a second divider resistor, and parallelly connect the series divider resistor to the battery pack;

(3) Connect a microcontroller to the power supply, and parallelly connect the microcontroller to the second divider resistor;

(4) Cause the microcontroller to send out a first control signal to the power supply, so that the power supply supplies a constant charge current source to the battery pack;

(5) When anyone of the batteries in the battery pack is charged to a first preset voltage value, the battery pack disconnects that battery from a corresponding charging circuit thereof;

(6) The microcontroller detects via the series divider resistor a voltage value of the battery pack;

when the detected voltage value is smaller than a second preset voltage value, or when a FULL signal out put by the battery pack is received, the microcontroller outputs a RESET signal to all charging circuits, so that all the charging circuits are closed; and

(7) Determine whether the number of times the RESET signal has been output has reached a preset value;

if yes, power from the power supply is interrupted by the microcontroller to stop charging the batteries; and

if not, a second control signal is output by the microcontroller to the power supply, so that the power supply lowers the constant charge current source output thereof, and the charging returns to the step (4).

2. The method of charging batteries as claimed in claim 1, wherein the batteries are selected from the group consisting of high-capacity capacitors and Li-ion batteries.

3. The method of charging batteries as claimed in claim 1, wherein the power supply is selected from the group consisting of a stepped variable charger and a linear variable charger.

4. The method of charging batteries as claimed in claim 1, wherein the RESET signal is a logic value.

5. The method of charging batteries as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first control signal is a logic value.

6. The method of charging batteries as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second control signal is a logic value.

7. The method of charging batteries as claimed in claim 1, wherein the microcontroller includes an analog-digital converter.

8. The method of charging batteries as claimed in claim 1, wherein the constant charge current source is a constant current source that allows current setting.