JP2002199612A - Charger for secondary battery - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically prevent unnecessarily consumption of standby power requirement by a converter built in a charger for a secondary battery. SOLUTION: This charger has the converter 20 which converts alternating current supplied from an AC power source 100 and a switch 10 which is disposed on the input side of the converter 20 and makes the alternating current on/off. The switch 10 is switched on when the secondary battery 102 is set in the charger 1 and switched off when the secondary battery 102 is not set in the charger 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a secondary battery charger for charging a secondary battery.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, portable electric devices (portable telephones, notebook computers, portable CD players, etc.) have been remarkably spread. These portable electric devices mainly use rechargeable secondary batteries (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as “rechargeable batteries”) as power sources, and the development of chargers for charging these rechargeable batteries has been developed. Is underway. Generally, it is assumed that these chargers are used by being connected to an AC power supply for home use. Usually, an AC (AC) / DC (DC) converter (hereinafter simply referred to as a “converter”) is used. ).

[0003]

However, in the conventional charger as described above, when the rechargeable battery is not actually set in the charger, or even when the rechargeable battery is set in the charger, the rechargeable battery is not used. Even when the charger is not charging the rechargeable battery, such as when it is fully charged,
The converter built in such a charger performs a conversion operation from AC to DC, so that there is a problem that power is wasted (this is called so-called standby power consumption).

[0004] In recent years, energy saving has been called for, and this standby power consumption has become a non-negligible amount of power, and products that take the problem of standby power consumption into consideration are desired. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and has been made in consideration of the above circumstances. Accordingly, it is possible to automatically prevent unnecessary consumption of standby power by a converter built in a charger. The purpose is to provide a vessel.

[0005]

Therefore, a charger for charging a secondary battery according to the present invention (claim 1) converts an AC supplied from an AC power supply into a DC for charging the secondary battery. A converter provided on an input side of the converter for turning on and off the alternating current, wherein the switch is turned on when the secondary battery is set in the charger; When the secondary battery is not set in the charger, the battery is turned off.

In this case, a control unit for performing switching control on the switch and a secondary battery detecting means for detecting whether the secondary battery is set in the charger are provided. The unit is, by the secondary battery detection means,
When it is detected that the secondary battery is set in the charger, the switch is turned on, and the secondary battery is set in the charger by the secondary battery detection means. It is preferable that the apparatus be provided with a first control means for turning off the switch when the presence is not detected (claim 2).

The switch is connected to mechanical interlocking means, and the mechanical interlocking means is connected to the charger of the secondary battery when the rechargeable battery is set in the charger. While the switch is turned on in conjunction with the set operation for, the switch is turned on in conjunction with the removal operation of the secondary battery from the charger when the secondary battery is removed from the charger. Preferably, it is configured to be turned off (claim 3).

The control unit includes a DC monitoring means for monitoring the DC output from the converter, and the DC output from the converter is converted to a predetermined value based on information on the DC from the DC monitoring means. If it is determined that the state has been reached, it is preferable to include a second control unit that turns off the switch and cuts off the alternating current supplied to the converter (claim 4).

A control unit for performing switching control on the switch, the control unit including a DC monitoring means for monitoring the DC output from the converter, and a DC monitoring means for monitoring the DC output from the converter; When the direct current output from the converter is determined to be in a predetermined state based on the information about the converter, a second control means for turning off the switch and cutting off the alternating current supplied to the converter is provided. (Claim 5).

It is preferable that the controller drive power for driving the controller is supplied from the secondary battery set in the charger. It is preferable that an auxiliary battery is connected to the control section, and the control section drive power for driving the control section is supplied from the auxiliary battery. Also, a bypass switch for bypassing the AC from the AC power supply to the switch and supplying power to the converter is provided, and control unit driving power for driving the control unit is turned on by turning on the bypass switch. It is preferable to be configured to be able to be supplied from an AC power supply via a converter (claim 8). It is preferable that a bypass switch be provided to bypass the AC from the AC power supply to the switch and supply power to the converter.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description of each embodiment, an example in which the secondary battery charger of the present invention is applied to a mobile phone will be described. (A) Description of First Embodiment of the Present Invention (1) Description of Configuration FIGS. 1 to 8 are views showing a secondary battery charger as a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view for explaining the overall structure of the charger (with a mobile phone set), and FIG.
Fig. 3 shows the charger (with no mobile phone set)
FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are flowcharts for explaining control / operation of the charger, and FIG. 6 and FIG.
FIG. 7 is a graph for explaining the determination of the fully charged state of the rechargeable battery, FIG. 7 is an operation flow diagram when a bypass switch is used as a start switch, and FIG. 8 is an auxiliary battery as a driving power source of the control unit. FIG. 4 is a circuit configuration diagram of a charger in the case of using a battery charger.

As shown in FIG. 2, the charger 1 of the present embodiment includes a main body case 1-1 as a body cover, and the main body case 1-1 has a holder 1 for setting the mobile phone 101. -2. The charger 1 has a power supply cable (power supply cord) 31 for receiving power from the AC power supply 100, and has an AC power supply 1 at one end.
A power plug 30 is provided to be plugged into a power outlet for 00. Thereby, the charger 1 is connected from the AC power supply 100 via the power plug 30 and the power cable 31.
Are configured to be supplied with an alternating current / voltage (hereinafter simply referred to as “alternating current”). Also, the main body case 1-
1 includes a protruding bypass switch button 11-1. The holder 1-2 includes a bypass switch button 11-1 and a secondary battery detection switch 12-described later, as shown in FIGS. One is provided.

The charger 1 shown in FIG. 2 and FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, a converter 20 is built in, and an AC power supply 100 (an AC power supply 100
The converter 20 converts AC supplied from, for example, a commercial AC power supply of 100 [V] into DC current / voltage (hereinafter, simply referred to as “DC”) by the converter 20.
Power is supplied to the rechargeable battery 102 and the rechargeable battery 102 is charged.

The charger 1 includes a converter 2
0, a switch 10, a bypass switch 11, a secondary battery detection switch (secondary battery detection means) 12, a control unit 21, and a resistor 2 in order to eliminate standby power consumption.
4 and a charging contact 22 are provided. The converter 20 is a general AC / DC converter for converting alternating current input from the alternating current power supply 100 to direct current, and is internally provided with a transformer and a rectifier (not shown). .

The charging contact 22 includes a positive contact and a negative contact, and is connected to the output side of the converter 20. The positive contact and the negative contact of the charging contact 22 are set to be in contact with the positive contact and the negative contact of the power receiving contact 102-1 of the rechargeable battery 102 when the rechargeable battery 102 is set in the charger 1, respectively. . Thus, by setting the rechargeable battery 102 in the charger 1, the DC output from the converter 20 is input to the rechargeable battery 102 set in the charger 1 via the charging contact 22 and the charging contact 102-1. , The rechargeable battery 102 is charged.

The switch 10 is interposed between the output side of the AC power supply 100 and the input side of the converter 20 inside the charger, and energizes (ON) and interrupts (OFF) the AC input from the AC power supply 100. It is for doing. The switch 10 is configured by an electrically controllable semiconductor switching element (electric switch) such as a relay or a thyristor, and is controlled to be turned on / off by a control signal from a control unit 21 described later. I have.

The bypass switch 11 is connected in parallel with the switch 10, bypasses the AC input from the AC power supply 100 to the switch 10, and
This bypass switch 11 is used as a starting switch for starting the control unit 21 and the like, as described later.

The bypass switch 11 is a mechanical switch having the bypass switch button 11-1, the bypass switch section 11-2, and the bypass switch terminal 11-3. The bypass switch button 11-1 is operatively connected to the bypass switch section 11-2.
1 in conjunction with the movement of the bypass switch 11-2
And the bypass switch contact 11-3 is separated from and connected to the bypass switch 11 (that is, the bypass switch button 11 is turned on / off).

The bypass switch button 11-1
2 and 3 protrudes from the main body case 1-1 and can be pressed by a user or an operator. Therefore, the user or the operator presses the bypass switch button 11-1 to
The bypass switch section 11-2 is brought into contact with the bypass switch terminal 11-3 so that the bypass switch 11 can be turned on.

When the bypass switch button 11-1 is not depressed (released), the switch piece 11-2 is pushed up by, for example, a return spring (not shown) and separated from the switch contact 11-3. Thus, the bypass switch 11 is designed to be turned off. The secondary battery detection switch (secondary battery detection means) 12 is a mechanical switch for detecting whether or not the rechargeable battery 102 has been set in the charger, and the detection information is output to the control unit 21. It has become so. The secondary battery detection switch 12 includes a secondary battery detection switch button 12-1 and a secondary battery detection switch section 12-2.
And a secondary battery detection switch terminal 12-3.

The secondary battery detection switch button 12-1 is operatively connected to the secondary battery detection switch section 12-2. The secondary battery detection switch button 12-1 is operated in conjunction with the movement of the secondary battery detection switch button 12-1. The switch piece 12-2 and the contact 12-3 of the secondary battery detection switch are separated from each other (that is, the secondary battery detection switch 12 is turned on and off).

The secondary battery detection switch button 12-1 is connected to the holder 1 of the charger 1 as shown in FIG.
When the mobile phone 101 equipped with the rechargeable battery 102 is set in the charger 1, the secondary battery detection switch button 12-1 is set according to the weight of the mobile phone 101 and the rechargeable battery 102. Is pressed, whereby the secondary battery detection switch section 12-2 comes into contact with both terminals of the secondary battery detection switch terminal 12-3 to energize, and the secondary battery detection switch 12 is turned on. ing.

The rechargeable battery detection switch 12 is
It is also possible to configure a non-contact type sensor such as a photo sensor. In this case, of course, the secondary battery detection switch button 12-1 becomes unnecessary. Next, the control unit 2
As shown in FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is interposed between the output side of the converter 20 and the switch 10 and connected to the secondary battery detection switch 12 to drive the DC power output from the converter 20. The power is used as power, and the switch 10 is automatically switched (on / off controlled). The control unit 21 can be constituted by a central processing unit (CPU) or the like.

The control unit 21 further includes a first control unit 21-1 to implement switching control of the switch 10.
It has the functions of the DC control means 21-3 for monitoring the DC output from the second control means 21-2 and the converter 20. Here, the first control means 21-1 switches the switch 10 when the secondary battery detection switch 12 detects that the rechargeable battery 102 is set in the charger 1.
Is turned on, while the secondary battery detection switch 12 does not detect that the rechargeable battery 102 is set in the charger 1 (ie, when the rechargeable battery 102 is removed from the charger 1), The switch 10 is turned off.

The second control means 21-2 controls the ON / OFF of the switch 10 in accordance with the DC output of the converter 20, and outputs information on DC (DC information) output from the DC monitoring means 21-3. ) Is performed based on the above.
In other words, when the DC output from converter 20 reaches a predetermined current / voltage state, it is determined that rechargeable battery 102 is in a fully charged state (the determination of the fully charged state will be described later), and switch 10 is turned on. Turn off the converter 20
The power supply to the rechargeable battery 102 is stopped, and the charging operation for the rechargeable battery 102 is terminated.

The first control means 21-1, the second control means 21-2, and the DC monitoring means 21-3 are constituted by software. As described above, there are two conditions under which the control unit 21 controls the switching of the switch 10 to turn it off. The first condition is a rechargeable battery 102 (mobile phone 101).
Is the case where the battery is removed from the charger 1 (first condition), and the second condition is the case where the rechargeable battery 102 is fully charged (second condition).

That is, under the first condition, the rechargeable battery 102
When the (mobile phone 101) is not set in the charger 1, the secondary battery detection switch button 12-1 is released, and the secondary battery detection switch 12 is turned off, whereby the first control unit 21 of the control unit 21 is turned off. -1 controls the switch 10 to be turned off. When the mobile phone 101 equipped with the rechargeable battery 102 is set in the charger 1, the secondary battery detection switch button 12-
1 is pressed by the weight of the rechargeable battery 102,
The secondary battery detection switch 12 is turned on, and upon receiving a detection signal from the secondary battery detection switch 12, the first control means 21-1 of the control unit 21 turns on the switch 10.

In order to satisfy the second condition, the DC monitoring means 21-3 constantly monitors the DC current value and / or the voltage value (here, the current value) output from the converter 20, Furthermore, this DC monitoring means 21-3
It is configured to notify the second controller 21-2 of information on the monitored DC (DC information) as needed. Specifically, during charging while fixing the DC voltage value output from converter 20 (during constant voltage charging)
Then, the DC current value output from the converter 20 is measured and monitored by measuring the voltage value at both ends of the resistor 24, and the DC current value is notified as needed to the second control means 21-2.

After receiving the DC information including the DC current value output from the converter 21 from the DC monitoring means 21-3, the second control means 21-2 analyzes the DC information as needed, and When it is determined that the battery 102 is not fully charged, the rechargeable battery 102 still needs to be charged. Therefore, the switch 10 is turned on, and when it is determined that the battery 102 is fully charged, the rechargeable battery 102 is charged. Since there is no need, the switch 10 is turned off.

Here, a method of determining the fully charged state of the rechargeable battery 102 will be described with reference to FIG. The graph of FIG. 6 shows an example of a change in the DC current and the voltage output from converter 20, the vertical axis shows the current value and the voltage value, and the horizontal axis shows time. In this example, first, charging is performed with a fixed DC current value (constant current) of 1 [A], and then the DC voltage value output from converter 20 during this constant current charging is 4.1 [V]. In this case, the current value is fixed and the DC voltage of 4.1 [V] is fixed (constant voltage) to perform charging. Such a method of performing constant voltage charging after constant current charging makes charging faster,
It is generally used as a method of charging to a more accurate voltage, and a detailed description thereof is omitted.

The DC current value output from converter 20 is constant at 1 [A] during constant-current charging, but becomes constant at 4.1 [V] and starts constant-voltage charging. It is going down. Further, the DC voltage value output from converter 20 is an initial voltage (here, 3
[V]), but keeps a constant voltage value (4.1 [V] in this example) after the start of constant voltage charging.

In such a constant voltage charging state, the DC current value output from converter 20 changes according to the state of the power stored in rechargeable battery 102 (charging state). By doing so, the rechargeable battery 10
2 can be determined. The conditions for judging that the rechargeable battery is fully charged vary depending on various conditions such as the type and capacity of the secondary battery, but in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. When the DC current reaches 0.2 [A] during the constant voltage charging of [], the control unit 21 determines that the rechargeable battery 102 is fully charged.

Note that the current value of 0.2 [A] means that
The determination may be made by directly monitoring (monitoring) the current value. By the way, the control unit 21 of the charger 1 shown in FIG. 1 is normally supplied with DC power from the converter 20 as drive power (control unit drive power). However, when the charger 1 is not in the charging state (standby state), in other words, when the switch 10 is off, the converter 20
To the control unit 2
No. 1 cannot start control.

For this reason, at the start of charging (at the start of control), it is necessary to first forcibly supply power to the control unit 21 via the converter 20. In the present embodiment, the above-described bypass switch 11 is provided. ing. That is, by pressing the bypass switch button 11-1 at the start of charging, the bypass switch 11 is turned on, and even when the switch 10 is off, the driving power can be forcibly supplied to the control unit 21 via the converter 20. As a result, the operation of the control unit 21 is started, and the rechargeable battery 1
02 (mobile phone 101) is set, the switch 10 is turned on by the control unit 21 and the rechargeable battery 102
Is started. Note that once the control unit 21 starts operating and turns on the switch 10,
Since power is supplied to the control unit 21 via the switch 10, it is not necessary to turn on the bypass switch 11.

The bypass button 11 can function not only as a start switch but also as an emergency switch. That is, for example, when the switch 10 fails and does not turn on, the bypass switch 11 is turned on, so that the converter 20 and, consequently, the rechargeable battery 10 are turned on.
2 can be charged by supplying electric power.

In this case, if the bypass switch button 11-1 is once pressed by a user or the like, a switch (not shown) having a hold function such that the bypass switch 11 is not turned off even if the button is not pressed. )
Etc. may be used. (2) Description of Operation Flow The secondary battery charger 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes:
It is configured as described above, and when performing control related to charging, it is necessary to first turn on the bypass switch 11 and supply power to the control unit 21. Hereinafter, the power supply operation by the bypass switch 11 will be described with reference to FIG.

That is, as shown in FIG.
When the mobile phone 101 is set in the holder unit 1-2 of the charger 1 to charge the rechargeable battery 102, and the bypass switch 11 is turned on by a manual operation of a user or the like,
The AC from the AC power supply 100 bypasses the switch 10 and is input to the converter 20 (step B1). The DC power converted from the converter 20 is output to the charging contact 22 and is used as the control unit driving power by the control unit 21.
(Step B2), and the control unit 21 obtains drive power and starts control for charging (Step B3).

Hereinafter, charging control by the control unit 21 will be described with reference to FIGS. First,
The battery charger 1 based on the detection information of the secondary battery detection switch 12
It is determined whether or not the rechargeable battery 102 (mobile phone 101) is set in the rechargeable battery 1 (step A1).
02 is not set in the charger 1,
According to the "not set" route, the process proceeds to step A9 shown in FIG. 5, control is performed by the first control means 21-1 (step A9), the switch 10 is turned off (step A10), and the process shown in FIG. Return to

In step A1 of FIG. 4, when the secondary battery detection switch 12 is turned on to detect that the rechargeable battery 102 is set in the charger 1 ("A" in step A1). The control unit 21 includes a built-in first control unit 21-
According to 1, an ON control signal for turning on the switch 10 is transmitted to the switch 10 (step A2), and the switch 10 is turned on (step A3).

Then, since the switch 10 is turned on, the converter 20 starts receiving power from the AC power supply 100 (step A4), and the power converted from AC to DC by the converter 20 is supplied to the charging contact 22. Charging of the rechargeable battery 102 is started (step A5), and the process proceeds to step A6 in FIG. 5, where the DC monitoring means 21-3 of the control unit 21 monitors the output DC current value / voltage value (DC) from the converter 20 as needed. ) To the second control means 21-2.

Therefore, the second control means 21-2 analyzes the received DC information and determines whether or not the rechargeable battery 102 is fully charged based on the analyzed DC information (step A7). If it is determined in step A7 that the rechargeable battery 102 is fully charged (see the “fully charged” route in step A7), the second control unit 21-2 turns off the switch 10. Is transmitted to the switch 10 (step A8), the switch 10 is turned off (step A10), and the process returns to the start of FIG.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step A7 that the rechargeable battery 102 has not reached the fully charged state, the rechargeable battery 102 proceeds along the "not fully charged" route and proceeds to step A1.
Return to If the rechargeable battery 102 is removed from the charger 1 during the charging operation (see “Route not set” in step A1), the charging operation of the rechargeable battery 1 needs to be terminated. The first control unit 21-1 of the unit 21 transmits an off control signal for turning off the switch 10 to the switch 10 (Step A).
9), the switch 10 is turned off (step A10), and FIG.
Return to start.

Therefore, when the rechargeable battery 102 is not set in the charger 1 or when the rechargeable battery 102 is fully charged, the switch 10 is turned off, and the power receiving from the AC power supply 100 is cut off, so that the standby state is established. Unnecessary consumption of power can be automatically prevented. (3) Power Supply to Control Unit In the above-described embodiment, an AC power source (a bypass switch is used at the start of charging) is used as the control unit drive power, but the power remaining in the auxiliary battery and the rechargeable battery is used. Can also be used. These can be used independently or in combination.

Hereinafter, the use of the auxiliary battery and the use of the electric power remaining in the rechargeable battery will be described. The use of the auxiliary battery will be described with reference to FIG. The charger 1 shown in FIG. 8 further includes, in addition to the components of the charger 1 shown in FIG.
The control unit 21 is provided with an auxiliary battery 23 for supplying driving power to the control unit 21.

Although the auxiliary battery 23 is provided outside the control unit 21 in FIG. 8, the auxiliary battery 23 may be built in the control unit 21. The auxiliary battery 23 is used only when the charger 1 is started from the standby state. This is because during normal operation (during charging operation), the control unit 21 obtains DC power output from the converter 20 as drive power (see the arrow X1 in FIG. 8).

The auxiliary battery 23 is a drive power supply for the control unit 21 and requires a small amount of power to drive such control. That is, although the power of the auxiliary battery 23 is consumed by the control unit 21, the power consumption is very small compared to the standby power unnecessarily consumed by the converter 20. Electric power can be suppressed.

Further, by constituting the auxiliary battery 23 with a rechargeable secondary battery, the converter 20 can be operated during normal operation.
It is also possible to charge the auxiliary battery 23 with the DC power output from the battery. In this case, the replacement of the auxiliary battery 23 becomes unnecessary until the end of its life, and it is possible to save the labor required for maintenance. Become. Use of Power Remaining in Rechargeable Battery In the rechargeable battery 102 of the mobile phone 101, in a state where power remains (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “rechargeable battery power”),
It is considered that the battery is often set in the charger 1, and when the power remains in the rechargeable battery 102, the rechargeable battery power can be used as the driving power of the control unit 21.

That is, when the rechargeable battery 102 is set,
As shown by an arrow X2 in FIG.
Driving power is supplied to the control unit 21 through the charging contact 22, whereby the driving of the control unit 21 is started (in this case, the auxiliary battery 23 does not have to be provided). Furthermore, if a constant rechargeable battery power of the rechargeable battery 102 is always left for the drive power of the control unit 21 by the function of the mobile phone 101, the user pays attention to the rechargeable battery power of the rechargeable battery 102. Without this, the mobile phone 101 can be used, and a more functional configuration can be achieved. (B) Description of Second Embodiment of the Present Invention (1) Description of Configuration FIGS. 9 to 11 are views showing a charger 1 'as a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a circuit configuration diagram thereof. FIG. 10 is an operation flow chart showing the charge start operation, and FIG. 11 is an operation flow chart showing the charge end operation. 2 and 3 used in the first embodiment will also be described. Note that the same members as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 9, the charger 1 '
Since the configuration is basically the same as that of the charger 1 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, detailed description thereof is omitted, but there are the following differences as compared with FIG. That is, in the charger 1 shown in FIG. 1, the switch 10 is configured by an electric switch, whereas the charger 1 'of the present embodiment shown in FIG.
In the first embodiment, the switch 10 'is
1 (mechanical interlocking means), a switch piece 10-2, and a switch terminal 10-3. The switch button 10-1 is connected to the rechargeable battery 1
The switch 10 'is turned on and off in conjunction with the vertical movement in accordance with the set / non-set (release) of the battery charger 02 in the charger 1. of course,
A rod, link, or the like may be interposed between the switch button 10-1 and the switch piece 10-2 as mechanical interlocking means.

Switch button 10-1 is located at the bottom of holder 1-2 of charger 1 ', as shown in FIG. 3, and mobile phone 101 having rechargeable battery 102 is set in charger 1. Then, the switch button 10-1 is pressed down due to the weight of the rechargeable battery 102 and the like, and a rod, a link, and the like are interlocked with the switch button 10-1, whereby the switch piece 10-2 comes into contact with both ends of the switch terminal 10-3. The power is turned on, and the switch 10 is turned on.

That is, the rechargeable battery 102 (mobile phone 101)
Is set in the charger 1, the switch 10 ′ is turned on, the AC power is supplied from the AC power supply 100 to the converter 20, and the power converted to DC by the converter 20 is output to the charging contact 22. Thus, the rechargeable battery 102 can be charged. On the other hand, if the rechargeable battery 102 (mobile phone 101) is not set in the charger 1, the switch button 10-1 is pushed up by, for example, a return spring (not shown), so that the switch 10 'is turned off, and the converter 20 is turned off. Is not supplied with power from the AC power supply 100.

(2) Description of Operation Flow Since the second embodiment of the present invention is configured as described above, it operates as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, for example. First, the charging start operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. To charge the rechargeable battery 102 of the mobile phone 101, as shown in FIG.
2 (step C1) and switch button 10
-1 is pressed against the return spring force due to the weight of the rechargeable battery 102 (step C2), and the switch section 10 is pressed.
-2 is mechanically interlocked and depressed to switch terminal 1
The switch 10 is turned on by contacting both ends of 0-3 (step C3).

When the switch 10 is turned on, the converter 20 starts receiving AC power from the AC power supply 100 (step C 4), and the power converted to DC by the converter 20 is charged via the charging contact 22. , And charging of the rechargeable battery 102 is started (step C5). Next, a charging end operation in the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG.

That is, the charging battery 102 being charged is the charger 1
(Step D1), the switch button 10-1 released from the weight of the rechargeable battery 102 is no longer depressed (Step D2), the switch 10 is turned off (Step D3), and the converter 20 Power is cut off and charging ends (step D).
4).

Therefore, when the rechargeable battery 102 is not set in the charger 1 ', it is possible to automatically prevent the standby power from being unnecessarily consumed in the charger 1'. (B-1) Description of Modification of Second Embodiment of the Present Invention (1) Description of Configuration FIG. 12 is a circuit configuration diagram of a charger according to a modification of the second embodiment of the present invention. The same components as those described in the charger 1 'shown in FIG. 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

The charger 1 ″ of the present modification shown in FIG.
Is different from that shown in FIG. 9 in that a switch 10 "is provided with a second switch 10-20 in addition to the first switch 10-10. The control unit 21 ′
The second switch 10 which is interposed between the output side of the converter 20 and the switch 10 "and is built in the switch 10"
-20 controls the switching of converter 20
The DC power output from 0 is the drive power.

The control section 21 'has the functions of a second control section 21-2 and a DC monitoring section 21-3. The control unit 21 'is also constituted by a CPU or the like,
The second control unit 21-2 and the DC monitoring unit 21-3 are configured by software. Here, DC monitoring means 2
1-3 is for constantly monitoring the DC output from the converter 20, and is configured to notify the monitored information (DC information) to the second control means 21-2 as needed.

The second control means 21-2 includes the DC monitoring means 2
1-3, and the rechargeable battery 102 is in a fully charged state based on DC information including a DC current value and a voltage value output from the converter 21 from the DC monitoring means 21-3. To determine if the battery is
If it is determined that the 02 is not in the fully charged state,
Turn on the second switch 10-20 built in 0 ″,
If it is determined that the battery is fully charged, the second switch 10
-20 is turned off.

Next, the switch 10 "will be described.
This switch 10 "is connected to the first switch 1 as described above.
0-10 and a second switch 10-20. First, the first switch 10-10 is for turning on (turning on) / turning off (turning off) the AC input from the AC power supply 100, and is the same as the switch 10 'in the charger 1' shown in FIG. Configuration. That is, the first switch 10-10 is connected to the switch button 10-1,
A switch section 10-2 and a switch terminal 10-3 are provided.

The switch button 10-1 is provided on the bottom of the holder 1-2 of the charger 1 "as shown in FIG. 3, and the rechargeable battery 102 (mobile phone 101) is set in the charger 1. Then, due to the weight of the rechargeable battery 102 (mobile phone 101), the switch button 10-1 is pressed against the return spring force, and the switch piece 10-2 comes into contact with both of the switch terminals 10-3. The first switch 10-10 is configured to be energized and turned on.

On the other hand, the second switch 10-20 is connected in series with the second switch 10-20, and the first switch 10-20
As in the case of -10, the first switch 10 is for turning on (turning on) and cutting off (turning off) an alternating current and a voltage input from the AC power supply 100.
Unlike -10, this is an electrical switch composed of electrically controllable semiconductor switching elements such as relays and thyristors. The control of turning on and off the second switch 10-20 is performed by the control unit 21 'as described above. (2) Description of Operation Flow Since the modification of the second embodiment of the present invention is configured as described above, the rechargeable battery 102 is set in the charger 1 ″ similarly to the first embodiment. At the same time, control is performed as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 13 on condition that the bypass switch 11 is turned on and power is supplied to the control unit 21 '.

That is, first, the DC monitoring means 21-3 of the control section 21 'monitors the DC current / voltage output from the converter 20, and uses the monitoring result as DC information as control section 2'.
1 to the second control means 21-2 (step G1). Therefore, the second control means 21-2 analyzes the received DC information, and determines whether or not the rechargeable battery 102 is fully charged based on the analyzed DC information (step G2).

In this step, when the second control means 21-2 of the control section 21 'determines that the rechargeable battery 102 has not reached the fully charged state (refer to the "not fully charged" route in step G2). ), Second switch 10-20
Is turned on (step G5), the mobile phone 101 (rechargeable battery 102) is set in the charger 1 "and the first switch 10
If -10 is on (if switch 10 "is on), charging is performed, and the process returns to step G1.

On the other hand, in step G2, the rechargeable battery 10
If it is determined that No. 2 is in the fully charged state, step G2
Through the "fully charged" route of step G3
The second control means 21-2 outputs an off control signal for turning off the second switch 10-20 of the switch 10 ″ to the second switch 10-20, and the second switch 10-20 Is turned off (step G4), and the process returns to the start.

Therefore, when the rechargeable battery 102 is not charged (standby state), in other words, the rechargeable battery 1
Since the switch 10 ″ is turned off when the battery 02 is in the fully charged state and cannot be charged any more, or when the rechargeable battery 102 is not set in the charger 1, the switch 10 ″ is turned off.
There is an advantage that unnecessary consumption of standby power can be automatically prevented.

Note that, even if the rechargeable battery 102 is removed from the charger 101 during the control shown in FIG. 13, the first switch 10-10 is turned off in conjunction with the operation of removing the rechargeable battery 102. Therefore, the advantage that the AC power from the AC power supply 100 is cut off and standby power is unnecessarily consumed in the charger 1 ″ can be automatically prevented.

In the above-described embodiment (a modification of the second embodiment), an AC power source (by using the bypass switch 11 at the start of charging) is used as the control unit driving power.
As described in the embodiment, an auxiliary battery,
The power remaining in the rechargeable battery can also be used. These can be used independently or in combination.

That is, when the DC output from the converter 20 is stopped, the means for securing the electric power for driving the control unit 21 ′ includes the use of the auxiliary battery and the use of the electric power remaining in the rechargeable battery. However, since these are described in the description of the first embodiment, the description is omitted here. (C) Others The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and their modifications, and can be variously modified and implemented without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, an example is described in which the secondary battery charger of the present invention is applied to a mobile phone. However, the secondary battery charger of the present invention is not limited to the charging of a mobile phone. Instead, the present invention can be applied to a charger for charging a rechargeable secondary battery used for all electric devices. Naturally, the present invention can be applied to the case where only the secondary battery is charged.

[0070]

As described above in detail, according to the secondary battery charger of the present invention, when the secondary battery is not set in the charger, the switch is turned off. Is automatically prevented from being consumed (claim 1). By providing a secondary battery detecting means for detecting whether or not the secondary battery is set in the charger, and a control unit for turning on / off the switch in conjunction with the detection result of the secondary battery detecting means. There is an advantage that unnecessary consumption of standby power can be reliably prevented (claim 2).

By connecting the switch to the mechanical interlocking means, the set of the secondary battery in the charger can be set.
The switch can be turned on and off in conjunction with non-setting, and power can be turned on and off from the AC power supply to the converter of the charger with a simpler configuration. Therefore, when the rechargeable battery is removed from the charger, the power supply to the converter built in the charger is cut off, and as a result, unnecessary power consumption is automatically reduced. (Claim 3).

The control unit includes a DC monitoring means for monitoring whether the DC output from the converter has reached a predetermined state, and a second control for controlling a switch to cut off the AC supplied to the converter. With the configuration including the means, when the rechargeable battery is fully charged, it becomes possible to cut off the alternating current supplied to the converter, and as a result,
There is an advantage that unnecessary consumption of standby power can be eliminated (claims 4 and 5).

When the control unit driving power is obtained from the secondary battery set in the charger (claim 6), there is an advantage that the control unit driving power source can be secured without adding a special component.
In the case where the control unit driving power is obtained from the auxiliary battery connected to the control unit (claim 7), since a power supply dedicated to the control unit can be secured, there is an advantage that a reliable and stable control unit driving power source can be secured. In addition, when the bypass switch is turned on to bypass the switch that cuts off the AC from the AC power supply and supply power to the converter, the control unit driving power is obtained (claim 8). There is an advantage that the control unit driving power source can be secured only by the additional configuration.

Further, the AC power from the AC power supply can be supplied to the converter by bypassing the switch by the bypass switch. Even when the switch fails, the AC power supply can be supplied to the converter via the bypass switch. As a result, there is an advantage that the charging operation can be reliably performed even when the switch does not normally turn on (claim 9).

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a circuit configuration diagram of a charger as a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the overall structure of a charger (with a mobile phone set) as a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a charger (without setting a mobile phone) as the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a control of a charger as the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating control of a charger according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation.

FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating a determination of a fully charged state of a rechargeable battery according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an operation flowchart when a bypass switch is used as a start switch according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a circuit configuration diagram of a charger according to the first embodiment of the present invention when an auxiliary battery is used as a drive power source of a control unit.

FIG. 9 is a circuit configuration diagram of a charger as a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an operation flowchart showing a charging start operation of the charger as the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an operation flowchart showing a charge termination operation of a charger as a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a circuit configuration diagram of a charger as a modification of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an operation flowchart showing a charge ending operation of a charger as a modification of the second embodiment of the present invention.

[Description of Signs] 1, 1 ', 1 "Charger 1-1 Body Case of Charger 1 1-2 Holder Unit of Body Case 1-1 10, 10', 10" Switch 10-1 Switch Button (Mechanical Type) Interlocking means) 10-2 Switch section 10-3 Switch terminal 10-10 First switch 10-20 Second switch 11 Bypass switch 11-1 Bypass switch button 11-2 Bypass switch section 11-3 Bypass switch terminal 12 Secondary battery Detecting means (secondary battery detecting switch) 12-1 Secondary power detecting switch button (mechanical interlocking means) 12-2 Secondary battery detecting switch intercept 12-3 Secondary battery detecting switch terminal 20 Converter 21, 21 "control unit 21-1 First Control Means 21-2 Second Control Means 21-3 Full Charge Determination Means 21-4 Secondary Battery Detection Unit 22 Charging Point 23 the auxiliary battery 24 resistor 30 power plug 31 power cable (power cord) 100 AC power supply (external power supply) 101 Mobile phone 102 battery (secondary battery) 102 - receiving contact

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (reference) H02J 1/00 308 H02J 1/00 308K F term (reference) 2G016 CB31 CC07 CC12 CC23 CC27 CD14 5G003 AA01 BA01 CA03 CA04 CC02 FA07 GB03 5G065 AA01 DA06 EA06 HA04 HA08 HA17 KA05 LA01 LA02 MA10 5H030 AA01 AS18 BB26 BB27 DD04 DD06

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A charger for charging a secondary battery, comprising: a converter for converting an alternating current supplied from an AC power supply to a direct current for charging the secondary battery; and a converter provided on an input side of the converter. A switch for turning on / off the alternating current, wherein the switch is turned on when the secondary battery is set in the charger, while the secondary battery is not set in the charger. A battery charger for a secondary battery, which is turned off in such a case. 2. A control unit for performing switching control on the switch, and a secondary battery detection unit for detecting whether or not the secondary battery is set in the charger, the control unit comprising: When the secondary battery detecting means detects that the secondary battery is set in the charger, the switch is turned on while the secondary battery detecting means detects the secondary battery. 2. The secondary battery charger according to claim 1, further comprising a first control unit that turns off the switch when it is not detected that the secondary battery is set in the charger. . 3. The switch is operatively connected to a mechanical interlocking means, and the mechanical interlocking means includes a charger for the secondary battery when the secondary battery is set in the charger. While the switch is turned on in conjunction with the set operation for, the switch is turned on in conjunction with the removal operation of the secondary battery from the charger when the secondary battery is removed from the charger. The charger for a secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein the charger is configured to be turned off. 4. The control unit further includes DC monitoring means for monitoring the DC output from the converter, and the DC output from the converter is supplied to a predetermined level based on information on the DC from the DC monitoring means. 3. The secondary battery according to claim 2, further comprising second control means for turning off the switch when it is determined to be in a state and interrupting the alternating current supplied to the converter. Charger. 5. A control unit for performing switching control on the switch, wherein the control unit includes a DC monitoring means for monitoring the DC output from the converter, and a DC monitoring means for monitoring the DC output from the converter. When it is determined that the DC output from the converter has reached a predetermined state based on the information about the converter, the switch is turned off, and second control means for interrupting the AC supplied to the converter is provided. The battery charger for a secondary battery according to claim 3, wherein: 6. The control unit according to claim 2, wherein the control unit drive power for driving the control unit is supplied from the secondary battery set in the charger. The battery charger for a secondary battery according to any one of claims 4 and 5. 7. The control unit, wherein an auxiliary battery is connected to the control unit, and a control unit driving power for driving the control unit is supplied from the auxiliary battery.
The battery charger for a secondary battery according to any one of claims 4 and 5. 8. A bypass switch for bypassing the AC from the AC power supply to the switch and supplying power to the converter, and turning on the control unit drive power for driving the control unit. The secondary battery charger according to any one of claims 2, 4, and 5, characterized in that the battery is supplied from the AC power supply via a converter. 9. A switch according to claim 1, further comprising a bypass switch for bypassing the AC from the AC power supply to the switch and supplying power to the converter. A battery charger for a secondary battery according to the item.