JP2005295751A - Charger - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a charger in which a user can grasp instantaneously and easily a charging state. <P>SOLUTION: The charger includes a battery voltage detecting means 111, a battery temperature detecting means 112 for detecting the state of the battery voltage, a battery temperature, etc. of a battery 102, a discriminating means 113 for discriminating the charging state from the detection result of the detecting means, and voice output means 114, 115 and 116 receiving instructions from the discriminating means to output a voice. The charging state is notified by the voice. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a charging device for charging a nickel cadmium battery (hereinafter referred to as a nickel cadmium battery), a nickel metal hydride battery or the like used as a power source for portable equipment such as a cordless electric tool.

  The conventional charging device displays the state of charge by the color of the light emitting diode or the light emission pattern. However, since most users do not always monitor the state of charge displayed by the charging device during charging, the user does not notice the completion of charging instantaneously even after the charging is completed. In order to solve this problem, for example, Patent Literature 1 and the like proposed a charging device that notifies an abnormality during charging or completion of charging with a buzzer or the like.

JP-A-9-28044

  However, if the buzzer informs the user of the abnormality during charging or the completion of charging, the user needs to change the buzzer's dial pattern to indicate whether the charging is abnormal or whether charging is complete. I have to remember. In addition, when another person is using the same charging device, it is very difficult to determine whether his own charging device has been charged or has been charged by another person's charging device.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a charging device that eliminates the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, informs the state of charge by voice, and allows the user to grasp the state of charge instantly and easily. is there. Another object of the present invention is to provide a charging device that makes it easy to distinguish between a charging device of one's own device and a charging device of another person.

  The object is to detect a state of the battery, a determination unit that determines the state of charge based on the detection result of the detection unit, and a voice output unit that informs the state of charge by voice based on the output from the determination unit. And an external setting means that can set the sound pattern from the outside.

  According to the present invention, since the state of charge is notified by voice, and the user can grasp the state of charge instantly and easily, the user can efficiently charge and work. It becomes like this.

  In addition, since the voice pattern can be set from the outside, for example, by freely setting the type of male voice, female voice, and melody, it becomes possible to easily distinguish between the charging device of oneself and the charging device of another person. .

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the charging device of the present invention. 101 is an AC power source, 102 is a battery set in which a plurality of rechargeable cells are connected in series, 103 is a primary rectifying / smoothing circuit on the primary side, 104 is a high-frequency transformer, 105 is a switching element, 106 is a switching element 105 A switching control circuit 108 that adjusts the output voltage of the second rectifying and smoothing circuit 107 by changing the drive pulse width and controls the start and stop of charging according to the output of the microcomputer 113, 108 detects the charging current flowing through the battery set 102 Charging current detection circuit 109 is a constant current control circuit composed of, for example, an operational amplifier for controlling the charging current to a predetermined current value, 110 corresponds to a predetermined charging current value to the constant current control circuit 109 according to the output of the microcomputer 113 Current setting circuit for setting and applying a reference voltage to be applied, 111 is a battery voltage detection circuit for detecting the voltage of the battery set 102, and 112 is a battery 102 is a battery temperature detector that detects the temperature of 102, 113 is a microcomputer, 114 is a voice output IC that selects and outputs a voice pattern signal according to an instruction from the microcomputer 113 from preset voice patterns, and 115 is a voice An amplifier that amplifies an audio pattern signal output from the output IC, a speaker 116 that utters audio, and an external setting means 117 that can set an audio pattern from the outside.

  Next, the operation of the charging device of the present invention will be described with reference to the circuit block diagram of FIG. 1 and the flowchart of FIG.

  When the power is turned on, an instruction is given from the microcomputer 113 to the audio output IC, and “Please insert the battery” is uttered by the speaker (step 201). Then, the process proceeds to step 202, and the battery set 102 is set in a connection standby state.

  Next, when the battery set 102 is connected, the state of the connected battery set 102 is detected (step 203). What is detected at this time is the battery voltage of the battery set 102 by the battery voltage detection circuit 111 and the battery temperature of the battery set 102 by the battery temperature detector 112. If there is any abnormality in the battery set 102, the microcomputer 113 issues an instruction to the voice output IC and says "There is an abnormality" (step 210), so that charging is not performed. Also, if you want to know in detail what the abnormality is, for example, if a battery set with a battery voltage that does not support the charger is connected, the “inserted battery cannot be charged with this charger”, battery If the temperature of the set is abnormally high, the user can easily understand by saying “Please wait for a while because the inserted battery is hot”.

  Next, when there is no abnormality in the battery set 102, the process proceeds to step 204, saying “Start charging”, and starts charging (step 205). At this time, as a method of constant current control during charging, a charging current flowing through the battery set 102 is detected by the charging current detection circuit 108 simultaneously with the start of charging, and a voltage corresponding to this charging current and a predetermined charging current value are set. The difference from the corresponding reference voltage from the current setting circuit 110 is fed back from the constant current control circuit 109 to the switching control circuit 106, and the driving pulse width of the switching element 105 is controlled to keep the charging current constant.

  Thereafter, in step 206, a full charge detection process is performed. As is well known, there are various methods for full charge detection. For example, -ΔV detection that is detected when a predetermined amount has dropped from the peak voltage at the end of charge, and the second-order differential value due to battery voltage time is negative. Second-order differential detection to be detected, ΔT detection to be detected when the temperature rise value of the battery assembly 102 from the start of charging exceeds a predetermined value, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-193518, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-246739, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 3 One or a plurality of full charge detections such as ΔT / Δt detection for detecting a time point at which the battery temperature increase rate (temperature gradient) per predetermined time suddenly increases during charging described in Japanese Patent No. 34638 Just do it.

  If it is determined in step 206 that the battery set 102 is in a fully charged state, charging is stopped by outputting a charging stop signal to the switching control circuit 106 (step 207), and “charging is completed” is uttered. (Step 208). Next, it is determined whether the battery set 102 is taken out (step 209). If it is determined that the battery set 102 has been removed, the process returns to step 202 to wait for the next battery set 102 to be charged.

  With the configuration as described above, the user can grasp the state of charge instantly and easily. In the above-described embodiment, the user is informed of the state of charge only by voice, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if the voice and the melody are combined, the charging state can be notified to the user more effectively.

The block circuit diagram which shows one Embodiment of this invention charging device. The flowchart for operation | movement description of this invention charging device.

Explanation of symbols

102 is a battery pack, 111 is a battery voltage detection circuit, 112 is a battery temperature detector, 113 is a microcomputer, 114 is an audio output IC, 115 is an amplifier, and 116 is a speaker.

Claims (1)

Detection means for detecting the state of the battery, determination means for determining the state of charge based on the detection result of the detection means, sound output means for notifying the state of charge by sound based on the output from the determination means, and sound An external setting means capable of setting the pattern from outside is provided.

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