Battery charging apparatus

• US 9,041,342 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2013
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Automotive Energy Systems, LLC, ElectroVolt, LLC
• Original Assignee: Moto Boost Technologies LLC
• Inventors: Dickson, Patrick, Bronson, Rod
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, VINH P
• Application Number:
  US14/082,508
• Publication Number:
  US 20140152233A1
• Time in Patent Office: 554 Days
• US Class Current: 320/104
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/00 Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/488 Cells or batteries combined with indicating means for external visualization of the condition, e.g. by change of colour or of light density
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/52 Reclaiming serviceable parts of waste cells or batteries , e.g. recycling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0019 using switched or multiplexed charge circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/84 Recycling of batteries or fuel cells

Abstract

An apparatus for charging an automobile battery is presented. The device provides a surface charge with a time limited window in which to start a vehicle. Use of used batteries provides for environmentally effective manner in which to deal with the tremendous amount of used batteries that are discarded worldwide each year. The apparatus may optionally include a charging circuit to allow for recharging the used batteries. An LED display may be included to provide indication when a target battery has sufficient surface charge to warrant an attempt to start an engine. The apparatus is a small portable device that can be stored anywhere in a vehicle.

Claims

1. A battery charging apparatus comprising:

a case having a bottom surface and a vertical wall attached to the bottom surface in a substantially perpendicular configuration to define a volume of space above the bottom surface for housing a plurality of batteries with one or more connections facing upwards and one or more connections facing downwards;

a case cover removably coupled to the case to securely enclose the plurality of batteries within the case;

a circuit panel above the bottom surface of the case and below the plurality of batteries and in contact with said connections facing downwards on the plurality of batteries;

a circuit board beneath the case cover and above the plurality of batteries and in contact with said connections facing upwards on the plurality of batteries, said circuit board comprising a positive contact and a negative contact, wherein the circuit board and circuit panel connects the plurality of batteries electrically in series by circuitry resulting in a positive battery terminal and a negative battery terminal, wherein the positive battery terminal is connected to said positive contact and the negative battery terminal is connected to said negative contact, wherein said positive contact is further coupled to a first diode in series with at least one resistor enclosed in a thermally conductive and electrically insulating material, wherein said first diode allows current to flow from said plurality of batteries to said positive contact, said circuit board further comprising a second diode coupled between said positive battery terminal and said positive contact, wherein said second diode allows current to flow from said positive contact to the plurality of batteries; and

a connector for electrically coupling with an interface to a target battery, said connector having a positive lead connected to said positive contact and a negative lead connected to said negative contact.

2. The battery charging apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interface to the target battery comprises a cigarette lighter plug.

3. The battery charging apparatus of claim 1, wherein said plurality of batteries comprises 20 AA batteries electrically connected such that a positive terminal of a first battery is electrically connected to a negative terminal of a second battery through a first conductive element on said circuit board and a positive terminal of said second battery is electrically connected to a negative terminal of a third battery through a second conductive element on the circuit panel.

4. The battery charging apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a charge control circuit coupled between said positive lead and positive contact, said charge control circuit including a switch, said switch having a first position that allows current to flow from the target battery through an inductor regulated by a voltage regulator to the plurality of batteries and a second position that allows the current to flow from the plurality of batteries to the target battery.

5. The battery charging apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a status circuit, the status circuit including a light, the light illuminating when the target battery has a voltage greater than a threshold amount.

6. The battery charging apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of batteries is a used battery.

7. The battery charging apparatus of claim 1, wherein said at least one resistor is resides within the plurality of batteries which acts as a heat sink.

8. A battery charging apparatus comprising:

a case having a bottom surface and a volume of space above the bottom surface for housing a plurality of batteries with one or more connections facing upwards and one or more connections facing downwards;

a case cover removably coupled to the case to securely enclose the plurality of batteries within the case;

a circuit panel above the bottom surface of the case and below the plurality of batteries and in contact with said connections facing downwards on the plurality of batteries;

a circuit board beneath the case cover and above the plurality of batteries and in contact with said connections facing upwards on the plurality of batteries, said circuit board comprising a positive contact and a negative contact, wherein the circuit board and circuit panel connects the plurality of batteries electrically in series by circuitry resulting in a positive battery terminal and a negative battery terminal, wherein the positive battery terminal is connected to said positive contact and the negative battery terminal is connected to said negative contact, wherein said positive contact is further coupled to a first diode in series with at least one resistor enclosed in a thermally conductive and electrically insulating material, said circuit board further comprising a second diode coupled between said positive battery terminal and said positive contact; and

a connector for electrically coupling with an interface to a target battery, said connector having a positive lead connected to said positive contact and a negative lead connected to said negative contact.

9. The battery charging apparatus of claim 8, wherein the interface to the target battery comprises a cigarette lighter plug.

10. The battery charging apparatus of claim 8, wherein said plurality of batteries comprises 20 AA rechargeable batteries electrically connected such that a positive terminal of a first battery is electrically connected to a negative terminal of a second battery through a first conductive element on said circuit board and a positive terminal of said second battery is electrically connected to a negative terminal of a third battery through a second conductive element on the circuit panel.

11. The battery charging apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a charge control circuit coupled between said positive lead and positive contact, said charge control circuit including a switch, said switch having a first position that allows current to flow from the target battery through an inductor regulated by a voltage regulator to the plurality of batteries and a second position that allows the current to flow from the plurality of batteries to the target battery.

12. The battery charging apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a status circuit, the status circuit including a light, the light illuminating when the target battery has a voltage greater than a threshold amount.

13. The battery charging apparatus of claim 8, wherein said at least one resistor is resides within the plurality of batteries which acts as a heat sink.

14. The battery charging apparatus of claim 8, wherein said second diode is rated at a lower current than said first diode.

15. A battery charging apparatus comprising:

a case having a bottom surface and a volume of space above the bottom surface for housing at least one battery, wherein the at least one battery has one or more connections facing upwards and one or more connections facing downwards;

a case cover removably coupled to the case to securely enclose the at least one battery within the case;

a circuit panel above the bottom surface of the case and below the at least one battery and in contact with said connections facing downwards on the at least one battery;

a circuit board beneath the case cover and above the at least one battery and in contact with said connections facing upwards on the at least one battery, said circuit board comprising a positive contact and a negative contact, wherein the circuit board and circuit panel connects the at least one battery electrically in series by circuitry resulting in a positive battery terminal and a negative battery terminal, wherein the positive battery terminal is connected to said positive contact and the negative battery terminal is connected to said negative contact, wherein said positive contact is further coupled to a first diode in series with at least one resistor enclosed in a thermally conductive and electrically insulating material, said circuit board further comprising a second diode coupled between said positive battery terminal and said positive contact; and

a connector for electrically coupling with an interface to a target battery, said connector having a positive lead connected to said positive contact and a negative lead connected to said negative contact.

16. The battery charging apparatus of claim 15, wherein the interface to the target battery comprises a cigarette lighter plug.

17. The battery charging apparatus of claim 15, wherein said at least one battery comprises 20 AA batteries electrically connected such that a positive terminal of a first battery is electrically connected to a negative terminal of a second battery through a first conductive element on said circuit board and a positive terminal of said second battery is electrically connected to a negative terminal of a third battery through a second conductive element on the circuit panel.

18. The battery charging apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a charge control circuit coupled between said positive lead and positive contact, said charge control circuit including a switch, said switch having a first position that allows current to flow from the target battery through an inductor regulated by a voltage regulator to the at least one battery and a second position that allows the current to flow from the at least one battery to the target battery.

19. The battery charging apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a status circuit, the status circuit including a light, the light illuminating when the target battery has a voltage greater than a threshold amount.

20. The battery charging apparatus of claim 15, wherein said second diode is rated at a lower current than said first diode.