JPH02294231A - Charging apparatus for interchangeable charging battery pack - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable obtaining information necessary for management of a battery pack easily by indicating a measure required for said battery pack, etc., in a display part on the basis of the contents of an identification code and charging management data read from a storage part. CONSTITUTION:A data processing part 6a reads the reference number of times of charging a battery pack 2, the last number of times of charging, the last date and hour of charging, etc., already registered in a storage part 6c according to the contents of an identification code 2a and compares the read last number of times of charging with the reference number of times of charging registered in said storage part 6c. If the last number of times of charging exceeds the reference number of times of charging, an alarm part 6f is rung and if not, a display part 4 is caused to indicate that charging is possible. Further, if the last date and hour of charging is before a predetermined period, said display part 4 is caused to indicate that said battery pack should be recharged. Thus, it is possible to obtain information necessary for management of the battery pack 2 easily.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a charging device for rechargeable batteries, and in particular to a device for storing rechargeable batteries in a single box for use mainly in cassette players, video cameras, etc. The present invention relates to a charging device suitable for application to a battery pack used as a power supply device for a portable electronic device.

[Conventional technology]

I mentioned it earlier! Ikepacks have recently been widely used as portable power supplies for not only the aforementioned cassette players and video cameras, but also handheld computers, cassette players, LCD televisions (i.e., television receivers using a liquid crystal display), and various measuring devices. It is used. This type of battery pack requires proper management of its charging voltage in order to effectively utilize its capacity. On the other hand, on the electronic device side that uses this type of battery pack, in order to ensure that the battery pack is reliable as a power source, it is necessary to correctly understand the number of times the battery is charged and discharged, which is related to the lifespan of the battery pack. is necessary.

By the way, conventionally, in the case of a so-called fixed type battery that is fixed in a portable device, its approximate lifespan has been estimated from the approximate usage period of the device.

On the other hand, in the case of replaceable batteries or battery packs, their approximate lifespan has been estimated from the number of times they have been charged and discharged. However, it is difficult to expect that general users will be required to accurately know the number of times a battery has been charged. Also, in the case of batteries, especially lead batteries, excessive discharge will cause rapid deterioration of the battery, so it is necessary to manage the battery voltage to maintain it at an appropriate value. However, this is also not a very promising situation.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

Normally, if the battery pack is expected to be used outdoors for a long period of time, it is desirable to prepare a charged spare battery pack. However, even with such a spare battery, the charging voltage may drop if a considerable amount of time has passed since it was charged. Therefore, if a battery pack is used without checking such conditions, the user may make an unexpected mistake of not being able to operate the device on site. Therefore, in order to prevent such a situation from occurring, it is desirable to know the state of charge of the battery pack and its history.

This invention was made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is a replaceable rechargeable battery pack that allows you to accurately know the state of charge and history of the battery pack, such as the number of times it has been charged. The purpose is to provide a charging device.

[Means to solve the problem]

The charging device for a replaceable rechargeable battery pack of the present invention includes a code reading unit that reads an identification code displayed on a battery pack housing a rechargeable battery, and charging management data regarding the battery puncture including the number of charging times. a storage unit for storing the information, and a process for determining whether or not the battery pack has been charged a predetermined number of times based on the content of the identification code and the charging management data. The battery includes a data processing unit that executes processing to perform the processing, and a display unit that displays information about the battery including the results of the processing by the data processing unit.

[For production]

In this invention, the data processing unit compares the content of the identification code with the charging management data read from the storage unit to determine whether the number of charging times of the battery pack has reached a predetermined number of times. Does it use data processing to determine whether it is time to charge or not? 11. The display section should display the condition of the battery pack and any necessary measures.

〔Example〕

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A charging device for a replaceable rechargeable battery pack (hereinafter referred to as a charging device in this example), which is an embodiment of the present invention, will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The figure is a Bronok diagram showing one embodiment of the charging device.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a charging device, and a battery mounting part 3 (corresponding to the dimensions of the battery pack 2) into which a battery bag 2 packed with a plurality of rechargeable batteries, such as Ni-Cd batteries, is attached. ), a display section 4 that displays various information about the battery pack 2, and a display section 4 that displays various information about the battery pack 2, including the information displayed on the display section 4.
．． pl1, and a built-in function block 6 which will be further explained below. An identification code 2a (printed label) consisting of a barcode is pasted on the surface of the battery pack 2. The identification code 2a may include various information necessary for managing the battery pack 2, such as a battery number. The display section 4 consists of a liquid crystal display device. Note that the power source 7 is a device that supplies power necessary for the operation of the charging device 1.

Next, the internal organ function block 6 will be explained.

For ease of explanation, the built-in functional block 6 is extracted to the outside of the charging device l, and as shown in an enlarged view, there is a code reading section (
For example, a type of barcode reader that is scanned by hand to read the identification code 2a of Battery Panok 2)6
a, a data processing section 6b, which is composed of, for example, a microprocessor, reads the contents of the identification code 2a output from the code reading section 6a as data, and executes the data processing described below on this data; and a data processing section 6b. A storage unit 6c that stores data to be sent and received, a display control unit 6d that displays data from the data processing unit 6b on the display unit 4, and a display control unit 6d that displays various data related to the operation of the charging device l to the charging device l manually. More specifically, an operation setting section (for example, a keyboard) for inputting data etc. to be written to the storage section 6c under the control of the data processing section 6b.
6e, an alarm section 6f having a sounding function, and a charging power supply section 6g that supplies power of various voltages necessary for the charging device 1 to operate.

As the code reading section 6a to the charging power supply section 6g themselves, common ones can be used, so a detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

? Next, the operation when charging the battery pack 2 using the charging device 1 having such a configuration will be explained.

First, the identification code 2a of the battery pack 2 (in this case, the battery number for charging management of the battery pack 2) is read by the code reading section 6a, and the contents of the identification code 2a are stored in the storage section 6c via the data processing section 6b. Write. Next, the data processing section 6b reads out the reference number of charging times Nll of the battery panoch 2, the previous number of charging times N, the previous charging date and time DF, etc., already registered in the storage section 6c in accordance with the contents of the identification code 2a. Furthermore, the data processing section 6b compares the read number of charging times N with the reference number of charging times N3 registered in the storage section 6c. If the number of charging times N is the number of charging times N■
If it exceeds this, the alarm part 4g is sounded, and if not, the display part 4 is made to display the charging function. Further, if the previous charging port time DF is before a predetermined period, the display unit 4 displays that recharging is to be performed. Therefore, the user stops charging when the alarm section sounds, and when the display indicates that charging is possible or should be recharged, the user attaches the battery pack 2 to the battery mounting section 3 and starts charging. When charging is executed and completed, the data processing unit 6b updates the charging date and time DF to the current one, increments the number of charging times N by +1, and stores these in the storage unit 6c as the number of charging times N+l=N. . Furthermore, the data processing section 6b executes other necessary processing, and if there is a request for printout according to the settings of the operation setting section 6e by the user,
In response to this, the printing section 5 prints out data necessary for managing the battery banok 2, such as the number of times of charging N1 and charging date and time DF. This allows the user to easily and accurately judge whether or not the battery needs to be recharged and its lifespan.

In the above embodiment, the identification code 2a on the battery pack 2 is read as data for managing the battery pack 2, but the recording medium for such data may be punched holes or magnetic recording. etc. are possible.

All of these produce the same effects as those of the embodiments described above.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained in detail above, according to the present invention, by reading the data recorded on the battery pack, it is possible to easily obtain the information necessary for managing battery panic, such as the number of charging times, charging date and time, etc. according to this data. In addition, if the number of charging times, charging date and time, etc. exceed a predetermined value, an alarm etc. can be issued.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to accurately notify the user of battery replacement, deterioration, etc. through the display and/or printout of the battery charging device, and therefore, the maintenance of batteries can be planned and facilitated. It is also possible to accurately judge in advance whether or not a battery is necessary.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a charging device for a punctured rechargeable battery according to an embodiment of the present invention. l...Charging device for replaceable rechargeable battery pack (charging device), 2...Battery pack, 2a...Identification code, 4...Display section, ...Built-in function program, a...Code reading section, b...Data processing section, d...Display control section.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A code reading unit that reads an identification code displayed on a battery pack containing rechargeable batteries; and a storage unit that stores charge management data regarding the battery pack, including the number of times the battery pack has been charged. , a data processing unit that executes processing for managing the battery pack, including processing for determining whether the number of times the battery pack has been charged has reached a predetermined number based on the content of the identification code and the charging management data; A charging device for a replaceable rechargeable battery pack, comprising: a display section that displays information about the battery including the results of the processing by a data processing section.