JP2008263781A - Charger - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To optimally perform charging-stop control to each of a plural types of secondary battery with different performances, and thereby to expect a charging operation in safety and maximal performance of the secondary battery. <P>SOLUTION: A charging-time threshold value stored in an EEPROM 54 is determined as unsupported according to the performance of the secondary battery 60 when the time in a charging timer exceeds the threshold value before the secondary battery 60 is fully charged, and a charging mode is switched from a fast charging mode to a small-current charging mode for continuous charging operation. Accordingly, when the secondary battery 60 reaches a full-charging level by the small-current charging mode, a new charging time threshold value is processed on the basis of the present measuring value in the charging timer to update the value in the EEPROM 54. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a charging device for charging a plurality of types of secondary batteries having different performances.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a device for rapidly charging an alkaline secondary battery, for example, a device that employs -ΔV control is known. The-[Delta] V control is to control charging by using a characteristic that decreases after the terminal voltage of the secondary battery reaches a peak at the end of charging. Also, this type of charging device generally uses a charge stop control using a charging time timer or an integrated charging capacity in preparation for the case where the detection of the terminal voltage fails. In this control, a limit value of a charging time timer or an integrated charging capacity is set in advance according to the performance of the secondary battery to be charged, and the set value is stored in advance in the ROM in the charging device, Alternatively, it is set in advance as a time constant of the circuit component. Then, the charging operation is stopped by referring to the set value during the charging operation (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 7-312229 A

  However, in this type of charging apparatus, the charging time timer and the limit value of the accumulated charging capacity are fixedly set in advance. For this reason, if it is going to charge the secondary battery of another kind from which performance differs, charge stop control will not be performed correctly. For example, when a secondary battery having a higher capacity than a secondary battery that is assumed to be charged at the time of shipment of the charging device is sold, if the secondary battery is tried to be charged, the capacity of the battery is not charged. The charge stop control function is activated and the charge operation is stopped. For this reason, the capacity of the secondary battery cannot be fully utilized.

  The present invention has been made by paying attention to the above circumstances, and the object of the present invention is to enable optimum charge stop control to each of a plurality of types of secondary batteries having different performances, thereby making it safe and secondary. It is an object of the present invention to provide a charging device that enables charging that makes the best use of the capacity of a battery.

  In order to achieve the above object, the charging device according to the first aspect of the present invention stores the charging time or the integrated charging capacity threshold value set corresponding to full charging in the storage means. In a state where the secondary battery is charged in the first charging mode, whether or not the charging time or the accumulated charging capacity exceeds the stored threshold value, and the secondary battery is fully charged. When the secondary battery is determined not to reach full charge when the charge time or the accumulated charge capacity exceeds a threshold value, the secondary battery is Charging is performed in the second charging mode. Then, during charging in the second charging mode, it is determined whether or not the secondary battery has reached full charge, and if it is determined that the secondary battery has reached full charge, the total at that time The threshold value stored in the storage means is changed based on the charging time or the accumulated charging capacity.

  Therefore, according to the first invention, during the charging operation in the first charging mode, when it is determined that the secondary battery has not reached full charge even if the charging time or the accumulated charging capacity exceeds the threshold value. The charging mode is changed to the second charging mode, and the charging operation is continued. For this reason, even when charging a secondary battery having a higher capacity than the secondary battery that was assumed to be charged at the beginning of shipping of the charging device, it is possible to fully charge up to the capacity of the battery, Thereby, the capacity of the secondary battery can be fully utilized.

  In addition, the threshold value stored in the storage means in the charging device is automatically changed based on the total charging time or the integrated charging capacity at the time when full charging is reached by the charging operation in the second charging mode. The For this reason, when charging the secondary battery of the same type using this charging device thereafter, it becomes possible to perform efficient charging using only the first charging mode.

The threshold value changing means stored in the storage means is such that after the secondary battery reaches full charge by charging in the second charging mode, the secondary battery is discharged and the required discharge time or accumulated discharge capacity is discharged. And the threshold value stored in the storage means may be changed based on the calculated required discharge time or accumulated discharge capacity.
Even in such a configuration, the threshold value stored in the storage means in the charging device can be automatically changed. When the same type of secondary battery is charged using the charging device thereafter, the first It is possible to charge up to the maximum capacity in the charging mode.

  The charging current value used in the second charging mode may be a second charging current value smaller than the first charging current value used in the first charging mode. If it does in this way, it can charge reliably to full charge, without raising overcharge etc.

  The following can be considered as a technique related to the first invention. That is, a charging unit including a battery housing portion provided with a charging terminal and a plurality of pseudo battery units that can be detachably attached to the battery housing portion of the charging unit. The pseudo battery unit is prepared corresponding to each of a plurality of types of secondary batteries having different performance, and holds information related to the performance of the corresponding secondary battery. On the other hand, when the pseudo battery unit is mounted in the battery housing portion, the charging unit acquires information related to the performance of the held secondary battery from the pseudo battery unit, and the acquired secondary battery. Based on the information related to the performance, the charging control information stored in the storage means in the charging unit is changed from the first information to the second information. Then, when a secondary battery corresponding to the pseudo battery unit is mounted in the battery housing portion instead of the pseudo battery unit, the secondary battery is charged according to the charge control information stored in the storage means. It is what I did.

  Therefore, prior to charging the secondary battery, when the pseudo battery unit corresponding to the secondary battery is mounted in the battery housing portion, the charging unit is based on the information on the performance of the secondary battery held in the pseudo battery unit. The charging control information stored in the storage means is changed. Therefore, if the secondary battery is mounted in the battery housing portion and charged in this state, the secondary battery is charged based on the charge control information corresponding to the performance. For this reason, it is possible to always charge to the capacity of the secondary battery while ensuring safety against overcharge and the like, thereby making it possible to make full use of the ability of each secondary battery.

The following related configurations can be considered for the related technology.
(1) The first configuration includes a memory that stores second information related to the performance of the secondary battery in the pseudo battery unit, and when the pseudo battery unit is mounted in the battery housing unit, The second information is read from the memory of the pseudo battery unit, and the charging control information stored in the storage means in the charging unit is rewritten from the first information to the read second information. .
With this configuration, by storing the second information in the memory, the information related to the performance of the secondary battery can be accurately maintained regardless of the type and quantity, and the productivity of the pseudo battery unit can be maintained. Can be increased.

As means for reading the second information from the memory, the following configuration can be specifically considered.
(I) The pseudo battery unit is provided with a first communication terminal for connecting the memory to the outside, and the charging unit is provided with a second communication terminal connected to the first communication terminal. The charging unit reads the second information from the memory of the pseudo battery unit via the first and second communication terminals in a state where the pseudo battery unit is mounted in the battery housing portion.

  (Ii) The pseudo battery unit is provided with a communication terminal connected to the charging terminal in a state of being mounted in the battery housing portion. Then, when the pseudo battery unit is mounted in the battery housing portion, the charging unit receives the second charge from the memory of the pseudo battery unit via the charging terminal and the communication terminal in a state where the supply of the charging current to the charging terminal is cut off. Read the information.

  According to the above (i), the stored information in the memory can always be surely read via the dedicated first and second communication terminals. On the other hand, according to (ii), the charging terminal already provided in the charging unit can be used as a communication terminal for reading information from the memory, thereby reducing the number of terminals and simplifying the configuration of the charging unit. Can be

(2) In the second configuration, the pseudo battery unit is provided with a circuit element in which information related to the performance of the secondary battery is expressed by circuit constants, and the battery is charged when the pseudo battery unit is mounted in the battery housing portion. The unit detects the circuit constant of the circuit element of the pseudo battery unit as information related to the performance of the secondary battery.
If comprised in this way, a pseudo | simulation battery unit is realizable cheaply compared with the case where a memory is used.

As means for representing information related to the performance of the secondary battery by circuit constants, the following configuration is conceivable. That is, the pseudo battery unit is provided with a terminal for connecting the circuit element to the charging terminal in a state where the pseudo battery unit is mounted in the battery housing portion of the charging unit. Then, the detection current is supplied from the charging unit to the circuit element through the charging terminal in a state where the pseudo battery unit is mounted in the battery housing portion, and the value of the detection current flowing through the circuit element and the circuit are supplied. The circuit constant is detected from the voltage value generated at both ends of the element.
According to such a structure, a circuit constant can be acquired from a circuit element using the existing charging terminal with which a charging unit is provided.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, optimal charge stop control can be performed for each of a plurality of types of secondary batteries having different performances, thereby enabling charging that is safe and can make full use of the capacity of the secondary battery. A charging device can be provided.

(First embodiment)
In the first embodiment of the present invention, whether or not the charging unit exceeds a threshold value stored in advance as a charge control value in the charging unit in a state where the secondary battery is charged in the quick charge mode. Each of the secondary batteries is monitored for full charge. If the secondary battery has not yet reached full charge when the charging time exceeds the threshold value, the charging mode is switched from the rapid charging mode to the small current charging mode and charging is continued. Then, it is monitored whether or not the secondary battery has reached full charge during charging in the small current charge mode, and the total charge time is calculated when it is determined that the secondary battery has reached full charge. The charging time threshold value is updated to a new value based on the calculated total charging time.

  FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the charging apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The charging device according to this embodiment includes a constant current charging circuit 51, a central processing unit (CPU) 52A, a CPU power circuit 53 that supplies operating power to the CPU 52A, an EEPROM 54, a charge control switch 55, a current A measurement circuit 56 and a temperature detection circuit 57 are provided.

Among these, the CPU 52A is composed of a microcomputer and has a charge control value update control function. This function is realized by executing a program stored in a program memory (not shown).
The update control function of the charge control value is a state in which the secondary battery 60 is charged in the quick charge mode, whether or not the charging time exceeds a threshold value, and whether the secondary battery 60 has reached full charge. Each is monitored. If the secondary battery 60 has not yet reached full charge when the charging time exceeds the threshold value, the charging mode is switched from the quick charging mode to the small current charging mode and charging is continued. Then, it is monitored whether or not the secondary battery 60 has reached full charge during charging in the small current charge mode, and the total charge time is calculated when it is determined that the secondary battery 60 has reached full charge. Based on the calculated total charging time, the charging time threshold is updated to a new value.

Next, update control of the charging control value by the apparatus configured as described above will be described. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the control procedure and control contents.
When the secondary battery 60 is mounted on the charging device, the CPU 52A reads the threshold value of the charging timer from the EEPROM 54 in step 11a, and then turns on the charging control switch 55 in step 11b. Start. At the same time, the charging timer starts counting.

  Now, during this quick charge period, the CPU 52A compares the time value of the charge timer with the read threshold value in step 11d while monitoring full charge in step 11c. The full charge is monitored by monitoring the voltage between the terminals of the secondary battery 60, the charging current value detected by the current measurement circuit 56, or the battery temperature detected by the temperature detection circuit 57. As a full charge detection method, for example, a ΔV method or a temperature differentiation method is used. When it is detected that the charging timer has reached full charge before the time value reaches the threshold value, the CPU 52A turns off the charging control switch 55 at this point of time and ends the rapid charging.

  On the other hand, it is assumed that the time value of the charge timer exceeds the threshold before the full charge is detected. In this case, the CPU 52A determines that there is a possibility that the threshold value of the charging time stored in the EEPROM 54 does not correspond to the performance of the secondary battery 60, and shifts to step 11e where the charging mode is quickly charged. The mode is switched to the small current charging mode, and charging is continued in this small current charging mode. The charging current value in the small current charging mode is preferably set to an optimum value for each secondary battery based on the experimental result. For example, in the case of an AA size secondary battery, it is preferable to set the value to 500 mA or less, which generates relatively little heat.

  During the charging period in the small current charging mode, the CPU 52A monitors whether or not the secondary battery 60 has reached full charge in step 11f. When it is detected that full charge has been reached, the supply of the charging current is stopped, and then the process proceeds to step 11g. In step 11g, a new charging time threshold value is calculated, and the value stored in the EEPROM 54 is updated to the calculated new charging time threshold value (step 11h). Note that the charging time threshold value may be calculated from the time measured by the charging timer until the secondary battery 60 is fully charged, or may be calculated from the charging capacity obtained by integrating the charging current.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, when the charge timer time exceeds the threshold before the secondary battery 60 reaches full charge, the charge time threshold stored in the EEPROM 54 is set to the secondary charge. It is determined that there is a possibility that the performance of the battery 60 may not be supported, and the charging mode is switched from the quick charging mode to the small current charging mode to continue charging. When the secondary battery 60 reaches full charge due to this small current charge, a new charge time threshold value is calculated based on the time value of the charge timer at this time, and the value of the EEPROM 54 is updated. I am doing so.

  Therefore, the charging time threshold value of the EEPROM 54 can be automatically updated to an optimum value corresponding to the performance of the secondary battery 60 while actually charging the secondary battery 60. For this reason, for any type of secondary battery, appropriate charge control is always performed based on the charge control value according to the performance of the secondary battery, thereby reliably ensuring the capacity of the secondary battery 60. It is possible to fully utilize the capacity of each secondary battery 60 by charging. Moreover, it is not necessary to purchase an expensive charging device for each type of secondary charge value, thereby reducing the cost burden on the user.

(Second Embodiment)
In the second embodiment of the present invention, when the charge timer time exceeds a threshold before the secondary battery reaches full charge during charging in the quick charge mode, the user is notified of that fact. Then, when the user performs an operation for prompting the capacity measurement in response to this notification, the charging mode is switched to the small current charging mode and the charging is continued, and when the secondary battery reaches full charge by this small current charging, The secondary battery is forcibly discharged to determine the amount of discharge, and a new charge time threshold value is calculated from the amount of discharge to update the value of the EEPROM.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of the charging apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing the circuit configuration of the charging apparatus. In FIG. 14, the same parts as those in FIG.
The charging unit 1F of the charging device according to this embodiment is provided with a battery housing portion 10 on the upper surface of a box-shaped housing, and power supplies are respectively provided on two inner surfaces facing each other. Connection terminals 21 to 24 and 31 to 34 are provided. These power connection terminals 21 to 24 and 31 to 34 constitute four pairs of charging terminals, and a secondary battery to be charged is mounted between these charging terminals. A communication connection terminal 5 is provided on the bottom surface of the battery housing 10. This communication connection terminal 5 is used as a terminal for taking charge control information from a pseudo secondary battery 4A described later. Reference numeral 6 denotes an AC plug for commercial power.

  By the way, the capacity measurement switch 61 and the LED 62 are provided in the charging unit 1F. The LED 62 is lit when the charge timer time exceeds a threshold before the secondary battery 60 reaches full charge. The capacity measurement switch 61 is a switch operated when the user causes the charging unit 1F to perform the capacity measurement operation of the secondary battery 60.

  The charging unit 1F is additionally provided with a discharge control switch 58 and a constant current discharge circuit 59. The discharge control switch 58 is turned on by a control signal from the CPU 52B. The constant current discharge circuit 59 discharges the secondary battery 60 in a state where the discharge control switch 58 is turned on.

  The CPU 52B has a charge control value update control function. This control function is realized by executing a program stored in a program memory (not shown). The charge control value update control function turns on the LED 62 when the charge timer time exceeds the threshold before the secondary battery 60 reaches full charge during charging in the quick charge mode. In this state, when the user turns on the capacity measurement switch 61, the charging mode is switched from the quick charging mode to the small current charging mode and charging is continued. When the secondary battery 60 reaches full charge due to the small current charging, the discharge control switch 58 is turned on to discharge the secondary battery 60 by the constant current discharging circuit 59, and the amount of discharge is measured by the current measuring circuit 56. Calculate from the value. Then, a new charging time threshold value is calculated based on the calculated value, and the stored value of the EEPROM 54 is updated.

Next, update control of the charging control value by the apparatus configured as described above will be described. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the control procedure and the control content, and the same parts as those in FIG.
During the quick charge period, the CPU 52B compares the time value of the charge timer with the read threshold value in step 11d while monitoring full charge in step 11c. Then, when it is detected that the charging timer reaches full charge before reaching the threshold value, the CPU 52B turns off the charging control switch 55 at this point and ends the rapid charging.

  On the other hand, it is assumed that the time value of the charge timer exceeds the threshold before the full charge is detected. In this case, the CPU 52B determines that the charging time threshold stored in the EEPROM 54 may not correspond to the performance of the secondary battery 60, and turns on the LED 62 in step 14a. The user can know that the charging device may not correspond to the performance of the secondary battery 60 by lighting the LED 62.

  Assume that the user turns on the capacitance measuring switch 61 in this state. Then, the CPU 52B proceeds from step 14b to step 11e, where the charge mode is switched from the quick charge mode to the small current charge mode, and charging is continued in this small current charge mode. During the charging period in the small current charging mode, the CPU 52B monitors whether or not the secondary battery 60 has reached full charge in step 11f. When it is detected that full charge has been reached, the supply of the charging current is stopped, and then the process proceeds to step 14c, where the discharge control switch 58 is turned on, and the secondary battery 60 is connected by the constant current discharge circuit 59. Discharge. Further, during this discharge, the CPU 52B takes in the discharge current value measured by the current measuring circuit 56 and calculates the integrated value.

  Further, the CPU 52B captures battery voltage information at a constant period during the discharge, and determines whether or not the captured battery voltage is equal to or lower than a preset discharge start voltage. When the battery voltage of the secondary battery 60 falls below the discharge end voltage, the CPU 52B turns off the discharge control switch 58 and then proceeds to step 14e, where the discharge capacity calculated by integrating the discharge current value during discharge. Is read from the memory in the CPU 52B, and the charge control threshold value of the secondary battery 60 is calculated from the read discharge capacity. The discharge time length may be measured by a timer, and the charge control threshold value may be calculated from the time value of the discharge time. In step 14f, the CPU 52B updates the value stored in the EEPROM 54 to the calculated new charge control value.

  As described above, in the second embodiment, when there is a possibility that the charging device does not support the performance of the secondary battery 60, the capacity measurement of the secondary battery 60 is performed according to the user's operation, From this measurement result, a new charge control threshold value corresponding to the performance of the secondary battery 60 is calculated, and the stored value of the EEPROM 54 is updated to this new threshold value.

  Therefore, for any type of secondary battery, appropriate charge control is always performed based on the charge control threshold value according to the performance of the secondary battery, thereby ensuring the capacity of the secondary battery. It is possible to fully utilize the capacity of each secondary battery by charging. Moreover, it is not necessary to purchase an expensive charging device for each type of secondary charge value, thereby reducing the cost burden on the user.

The following technologies can be considered as technologies related to the present invention.
(First related technology)
A first related technology of the present invention includes a charging unit and a pseudo secondary battery, and a non-volatile memory in which charge control information of the secondary battery is stored in the pseudo secondary battery, and the non-volatile memory stores the non-volatile memory. A communication terminal for reading information is provided, while the charging unit is provided with a communication terminal connectable to the communication terminal of the pseudo secondary battery. Prior to charging the secondary battery, when the pseudo secondary battery is mounted in the battery housing of the charging unit, charging control information is transmitted from the nonvolatile memory in the pseudo secondary battery via the communication terminals. The charging unit changes the charging control information stored in the memory in the charging unit based on the acquired charging control information. Thereafter, the secondary battery is charged according to the changed charge control information.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a charging device according to the first related art of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the charging device.
This charging device includes a charging unit 1A and a pseudo secondary battery 4A. The charging unit 1A is provided with a battery housing portion 10 on an upper surface portion of a box-shaped housing, and power supply connection terminals 21 to 24, 31 to 34 is arranged. These power connection terminals 21 to 24 and 31 to 34 constitute four pairs of charging terminals, and a secondary battery to be charged is mounted between these charging terminals. A communication connection terminal 5 is provided on the bottom surface of the battery housing 10. This communication connection terminal 5 is used as a terminal for taking charge control information from a pseudo secondary battery 4A described later. Reference numeral 6 denotes an AC plug for commercial power.

  On the other hand, the pseudo secondary battery 4A has a cylindrical shape having the same shape and the same size as the secondary battery to be charged, and power supply connection terminals 411A and 412A are provided at both ends thereof. A communication connection terminal 42A is provided on the side peripheral surface. The communication connection terminal 42A is electrically connected to the communication connection terminal 5 of the charging unit 1A when the pseudo secondary battery 4A is attached to the battery housing unit 10.

  Incidentally, in the pseudo secondary battery 4A, as shown in FIG. 2, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 43 and a ROM power supply circuit 44 are provided. The ROM 43 stores charge control information related to the performance of the secondary battery to be charged in advance. This charge control information includes, for example, a charge time timer or an integrated charge capacity value set according to the capacity of the secondary battery.

  On the other hand, the charging unit 1A includes a constant current charging circuit 11, a central processing unit (CPU) 12A, a CPU power supply circuit 13 for supplying operating power to the CPU 12A, and an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable And Programmable Read). Only Memory) 14 and a charge control switch 15 are provided. The charging unit 1A is also provided with a circuit for transforming and rectifying the commercial power output and a circuit for measuring the voltage, temperature, and charging current value of the secondary battery being charged, but the illustration is omitted here. ing.

  CPU12A consists of microcomputers, for example, and is provided with the update control function of charge control information, and a charge stop control function. These functions are realized by executing a program stored in a program memory (not shown). The charge control information update control function is such that when the pseudo secondary battery 4A is mounted at a predetermined position of the battery housing unit 10, the charge control information is transmitted from the ROM 43 in the pseudo secondary battery 4A via the communication connection terminal 5. Capture. At this time, as a communication method with the pseudo secondary battery 4A, for example, a serial communication method is used, but a two-wire or three-wire communication method can be used by adding a communication connection terminal. . Then, the charging control information stored in the EEPROM 14 is rewritten to the new charging control information that has been taken in.

  The charging stop control function monitors the charging operation based on the charging control information stored in the EEPROM 14 when a secondary battery is mounted in the battery housing unit 10. When the secondary battery does not reach full charge even when the charge time timer value or the integrated charge capacity value defined by the charge control information is reached, the charge control switch 15 is turned off to stop the charge operation.

Next, the operation of the above charging apparatus will be described.
The pseudo secondary battery 4 </ b> A is prepared corresponding to each of a plurality of types of secondary batteries having different performances, and charging control information of the corresponding secondary battery is stored in the ROM 43. On the other hand, in the EEPROM 14 of the charging unit 1A, charging control information of a normal secondary battery that is predetermined as a charging target is written in advance.

  When charging the normal secondary battery, the secondary battery is mounted in the battery housing portion 10 of the charging unit 1A, and the charge control information corresponding to the secondary battery stored in the EEPROM 14 is used. Charge stop control is performed.

  On the other hand, when charging another type of secondary battery having a charging capacity different from that of the normal secondary battery, prior to charging, the pseudo secondary battery 4A prepared in association with the other type of secondary battery. Is mounted in the battery housing part 10 of the charging unit 1A. Then, the charging control switch 15 is turned on in the charging unit 1A, whereby the constant current of the constant current charging circuit 11 is supplied to the ROM power circuit 44 of the pseudo secondary battery 4A via the charging control switch 15 and the power connection terminal 411A. The ROM power circuit 44 converts the power supply voltage for the ROM 43 and then supplies it to the ROM 43.

  In this state, the CPU 12A of the charging unit 1A performs serial communication with the ROM 43 in the pseudo secondary battery 4A via the communication connection terminals 5 and 42A, and thereby reads the charging control information stored in the ROM 43. Then, the charging control information stored in the EEPROM 14 is rewritten to the new charging control information that has been taken in. Thus, the charging control information set in the charging unit 1A is updated.

  Therefore, after the charge control information is changed, when the different type of secondary battery is mounted in the battery housing portion 10 of the charging unit 1A and charging is started, the secondary battery is charged based on the changed charge control information. It is controlled to stop. For this reason, the other type of secondary battery is reliably charged up to the capacity of the secondary battery without stopping the charging before reaching full charge. Therefore, the capacity of the secondary battery can be fully utilized.

  As described above, in the first related technology, the pseudo secondary battery 4A in which the charge control information corresponding to the type of the secondary battery is stored in the ROM 43 is prepared, and the pseudo secondary battery 4A is prepared before the secondary battery is charged. The charging unit 1A is mounted, charging control information is read from the pseudo secondary battery 4A into the charging unit 1A, and the charging control information stored in the EEPROM 14 is updated.

  Therefore, when charging any kind of secondary battery, charge stop control is performed based on the charge control information corresponding to the performance of each secondary battery. For this reason, after ensuring the safety | security with respect to an overcharge etc., it can charge reliably to the capacity | capacitance which a secondary battery has, and, thereby, can fully utilize the capability which a secondary battery has. Further, it is possible to deal with a secondary battery having a new performance by purchasing only an inexpensive pseudo secondary battery 4A without replacing an expensive charging unit.

  Further, in this related technology, since the charging control information is stored in the ROM 43, the charging control information of the secondary battery can be accurately held regardless of the format or amount. Further, the charging control information in the ROM 43 can always be surely read out through the dedicated communication connection terminals 5 and 42A.

(Second related technology)
According to a second related technology of the present invention, communication connection terminals are provided at both ends of the pseudo secondary battery, and a part of the power connection terminal of the charging unit is used as a communication terminal. In addition, the charging unit is provided with a changeover switch, and when a pseudo secondary battery is mounted in the battery housing, the changeover switch is switched to cut off the supply of the charging current to the power supply connection terminal of the charging unit. Then, the charge control information is read from the ROM of the pseudo secondary battery via the power supply connection terminal and the communication connection terminal of the pseudo secondary battery, and stored in the EEPROM of the charging unit.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a charging device according to the second related technology of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the charging device. In these drawings, the same parts as those in FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.
The pseudo secondary battery 4B has a structure in which two cylindrical bodies having the same shape and the same size as the secondary battery are arranged in parallel and integrated. Among these cylinders, power connection terminals 411B and 412B are provided at both ends of one cylinder, and communication connection terminals 421B and 422B are provided at both ends of the other cylinder. In the pseudo secondary battery 4B, a ROM 43 and a ROM power supply circuit 44 are provided as shown in FIG. The ROM 43 stores charge control information related to the performance of the secondary battery to be charged in advance.

  On the other hand, of the power supply connection terminals 21 to 24 and 31 to 34 provided in the charging unit 1B, the pair of terminals 22 and 32 has a function as the communication / connection terminals 22B and 32B. The changeover switch 7 is connected to each of these communication / connection terminals 22B and 32B. The changeover switch 7 switches the connection destination of the communication / connection terminals 22B and 32B between the constant current circuit 11 and the CPU 12B.

  The CPU 12B switches the communication connection terminals 421B and 422B and the communication / connection terminals 22B and 32B from the ROM 43 in the pseudo secondary battery 4B according to the update control program of the charge control information in a state where the changeover switch 7 is switched to the CPU 12B side. Through the charging control information. Then, the charging control information stored in the EEPROM 14 is rewritten to the new charging control information that has been taken in.

  Since it is such a structure, when charging the normal secondary battery previously matched with the charging unit 1B, the said secondary battery is mounted in the battery accommodating part 10 of the charging unit 1B, and the changeover switch 7 is set. Switch to the constant current charging circuit 11 side. In this way, the charging current output from the constant current charging circuit 11 is supplied to the secondary battery from the communication and connection terminals 22B and 32B after passing through the charging control switch 15 and the changeover switch 7, thereby the secondary battery. The battery is charged. If overcharging is likely to occur during this charging operation, charging is stopped according to the charging control information corresponding to the secondary battery stored in the EEPROM 14.

  On the other hand, when charging another type of secondary battery having a different charging capacity from that of the normal secondary battery, the switch 7 is switched to the CPU 12B before charging, and then the secondary battery is switched to the different type of secondary battery. The corresponding pseudo secondary battery 4B is mounted in the battery housing part 10 of the charging unit 1B. Then, the charging control switch 15 is turned on in the charging unit 1B, whereby the constant current of the constant current charging circuit 11 is supplied to the ROM power circuit 44 of the pseudo secondary battery 4B via the charging control switch 15 and the power connection terminal 41B. The ROM power circuit 44 converts the power supply voltage for the ROM 43 and then supplies it to the ROM 43.

  In this state, the CPU 12B of the charging unit 1B communicates with the ROM 43 in the pseudo secondary battery 4B via the communication connection terminals 22B and 32B and the communication connection terminals 421B and 422B, thereby being stored in the ROM 43. Read charging control information. Then, the charge control information stored in the EEPROM 14 is rewritten with the new read charge control information.

  Therefore, after the update of the charge control information, if the secondary battery of the different type is attached to the battery housing unit 10 of the charging unit 1B and charging is started, the secondary battery is based on the updated charge control information. Charge stop control is performed. For this reason, the other type of secondary battery is reliably charged up to the capacity of the secondary battery without stopping the charging before reaching full charge. Therefore, the capacity of the secondary battery can be fully utilized.

  As described above, in the second related technology, by switching the changeover switch 7, one set of the plurality of power supply connection terminals of the charging unit 1B can be used as the communication / connection terminals 22B and 32B. Then, the charging control information is read into the charging unit 1B from the ROM 43 of the pseudo secondary battery 4B through the communication / connection terminals 22B and 32B, and the storage information of the EEPROM 14 is updated based on the read charging control information. I have to.

  Therefore, as in the first related art, when any type of secondary battery is charged, charge stop control is performed based on the charge control information corresponding to the performance of each secondary battery. For this reason, after ensuring the safety | security with respect to an overcharge etc., it can charge reliably to the capacity | capacitance which a secondary battery has, and, thereby, can fully utilize the capability which a secondary battery has. Further, it is possible to deal with a secondary battery having a new performance only by purchasing an inexpensive pseudo secondary battery 4B without replacing an expensive charging unit.

  Further, the power connection terminal already provided in the charging unit 1B can be used as a communication terminal for reading information from the ROM 43, thereby reducing the number of terminals and simplifying the configuration of the charging unit 1B. it can.

(Third related technology)
According to a third related art of the present invention, a mark representing charge control information of a corresponding secondary battery is displayed on the peripheral surface exterior portion of the pseudo secondary battery, and the pseudo secondary battery is accommodated in the battery of the charging unit. When it is attached to the part, the mark part is read by an optical photographing element provided in the battery housing part. Then, the charge control information corresponding to the read mark portion is read from the charge control information table, and the control information of the EEPROM is updated to the read charge control information.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a charging apparatus according to the third related technique of the present invention. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG.
A mark portion 45 is printed on the outer peripheral surface of the pseudo secondary battery 4C. The mark portion 45 is for identifying the charging control information of the corresponding secondary battery, and is colored in a predetermined color for each charging control information. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a correspondence relationship between the color of the mark portion 45 displayed on the pseudo secondary battery and the charging control information. The mark unit 45 may identify the charge control information by the width and number of lines, the shape of the mark, etc., in addition to identifying the charge control information by color.

  On the other hand, an optical imaging device 8 is disposed on the bottom surface of the battery housing portion 10 of the charging unit 1C. The optical imaging element 8 images the mark portion 45 of the pseudo secondary battery 4 </ b> C attached to the battery housing portion 10. The imaged image signal of the mark portion 45 is converted into digital data by an A / D converter (not shown) and then taken into the CPU. The CPU accesses the charge control information table stored in the memory in the CPU based on the captured image data of the mark unit 45 according to the charge control information update control program, and is represented by the image data. The charging control information corresponding to the color to be read is read. Then, the charge control information stored in the EEPROM 14 is rewritten with the new read charge control information.

  Since it is such a structure, when a normal secondary battery is mounted in the battery housing part 10 of the charging unit 1C, the mark part is not displayed on the normal secondary battery. The color of the image data captured from 82 does not correspond to any color registered in the charge control information table. For this reason, the CPU determines that the mounted secondary battery is a normal secondary battery and starts a charge control operation. When overcharge is likely to occur in the charge control, the charge control of the normal battery stored in the EEPROM is performed. Charging is stopped according to the information.

  On the other hand, when charging another type of secondary battery having a different charging capacity from that of the normal secondary battery, the pseudo secondary battery 4C corresponding to the different type of secondary battery is charged prior to charging. It is attached to the battery housing part 10 of 1C. If it does so, the mark part 45 printed on the surrounding surface exterior part of the pseudo secondary battery 4C will be read by the optical image pick-up element 8, and the image data of this read mark part 45 will be taken in by CPU of charge unit 1C. The CPU reads charge control information corresponding to the color represented by the image data from the charge control information table stored in the memory in the CPU based on the captured image data of the mark portion 45. Then, the charge control information stored in the EEPROM 14 is rewritten with the new read charge control information.

  Therefore, after the charging control information is updated, if the different type of secondary battery is mounted in the battery housing portion 10 of the charging unit 1C and charging is started, the secondary battery is based on the updated charging control information. Charge stop control is performed. For this reason, the other type of secondary battery is reliably charged up to the capacity of the secondary battery without stopping the charging before reaching full charge. Therefore, the capacity of the secondary battery can be fully utilized.

  As described above, in the third related technology, the color of the mark portion 45 printed on the surface exterior portion of the pseudo secondary battery 4C is read by the optical imaging element 8, and the stored information of the EEPROM corresponds to the read color. The charging control information is updated. Therefore, as with the first and second related technologies, when any type of secondary battery is charged, charge stop control is performed based on the charge control information corresponding to the performance of each secondary battery. Done. For this reason, after ensuring the safety | security with respect to an overcharge etc., it can charge reliably to the capacity | capacitance which a secondary battery has, and, thereby, can fully utilize the capability which a secondary battery has. Further, it is possible to deal with a secondary battery having a new performance by purchasing only an inexpensive pseudo secondary battery 4C without replacing an expensive charging unit.

  Furthermore, in this related technology, the pseudo secondary battery 4C does not need to be provided with a ROM for storing charge control information, its power supply circuit, and a communication connection terminal, and it is only necessary to print the mark portion 45 on the peripheral surface exterior portion. There is an advantage that the pseudo secondary battery can be provided at a very low cost.

(Fourth related technology)
According to a fourth related art of the present invention, a resistance voltage dividing circuit in which a resistance value is set in advance in association with a charge control threshold value of the secondary battery, and a resistance value of the resistance voltage dividing circuit is set in the pseudo secondary battery. A resistance measurement terminal is provided for measuring. Then, when the pseudo secondary battery is mounted, the charging unit measures the resistance value of the resistance voltage dividing circuit via the resistance measuring terminal, and the charge control threshold value is based on the measured resistance value. And the control information of the EEPROM is updated to the calculated charge control threshold value.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a charging device according to the fourth related technique of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the charging device. In these drawings, the same parts as those in FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The pseudo secondary battery 4D has a cylindrical shape having the same shape and the same size as the secondary battery to be charged, and power supply connection terminals 411D and 412D are provided at both ends thereof. A resistance measurement terminal 46 is provided on the side peripheral surface. Further, a resistance voltage dividing circuit 47 is provided in the pseudo secondary battery 4D as shown in FIG. The resistance voltage dividing circuit 47 has a resistance value uniquely set in advance corresponding to the charge control threshold value of the secondary battery, and a voltage corresponding to the set resistance value from the middle point is set as a resistance measurement terminal. Output to 46.

On the other hand, a resistance measurement terminal 9 is disposed on the bottom surface of the battery housing portion 10 of the charging unit 1D. The resistance measurement terminal 9 is electrically connected to the resistance measurement terminal 46 of the pseudo secondary battery 4D mounted in the battery housing 10 and is a divided voltage value output from the middle point of the resistance voltage dividing circuit 47. Is supplied to the CPU 12D. The CPU 12D captures the supplied digital data of the divided voltage value as resistance value measurement data in accordance with the charge control information update control program. Then, a charge control threshold value is calculated based on the divided voltage value, and the charge control threshold value stored in the EEPROM 14 is updated to the calculated new charge control threshold value. The charge control threshold value is calculated by the following equation, for example.
Charge control threshold = α * divided voltage value + β (α and β are constants).

  Since it is such a structure, when a normal secondary battery is mounted in the battery housing portion 10 of the charging unit 1D, the resistance measurement terminal is not provided in the normal secondary battery, so that resistance measurement is performed. No voltage value is output from the terminal 9. For this reason, the CPU 12D determines that the mounted secondary battery is a normal secondary battery and starts a charge control operation. When overcharge is likely to occur in this charge control, the charge control of the normal battery stored in the EEPROM 14 is performed. Charging is stopped based on the threshold value.

  On the other hand, when charging another type of secondary battery having a different charging capacity from that of the normal secondary battery, the pseudo secondary battery 4D corresponding to the different type of secondary battery is charged prior to charging. Attached to the 1D battery housing 10. Then, the resistance measurement terminals 46 and 9 are connected. In the charging unit 1D, the charging control switch 15 is turned on, whereby the constant current of the constant current charging circuit 11 is changed from the power connection terminals 21 and 31 to the power connection terminals 411D and 411D of the pseudo secondary battery 4D via the charge control switch 15. The voltage is supplied to the resistance voltage dividing circuit 47 through 412D. For this reason, the voltage value divided by the resistance voltage dividing circuit 47 is taken into the CPU 12D of the charging unit 1D via the resistance measurement terminals 46 and 9.

  The CPU 12D calculates a charge control threshold value based on the acquired divided voltage value. Then, the charging control threshold value stored in the EEPROM 14 is updated to the calculated new charging control threshold value. The charge control threshold value may be a charge timer value or a charge capacity value.

  Therefore, after the charging control threshold is updated, if the secondary battery of the different type is mounted in the battery housing portion 10 of the charging unit 1D and charging is started, the secondary battery is updated with the updated charging control threshold. Charge stop control is performed based on the value. For this reason, the other type of secondary battery is reliably charged up to the capacity of the secondary battery without stopping the charging before reaching full charge. Therefore, the capacity of the secondary battery can be fully utilized.

  As described above, in the fourth related technology, the pseudo secondary battery 4D is provided with the resistance voltage dividing circuit 47 whose resistance value is uniquely set in association with the secondary battery, and the voltage dividing by the resistance voltage dividing circuit 47 is performed. The voltage value is taken into the CPU 12D of the charging unit 1D. A charge control threshold value is calculated based on the acquired divided voltage value, and the information stored in the EEPROM 14 is updated to the calculated charge control threshold value.

  Therefore, similarly to the first to third related technologies, when any type of secondary battery is charged, the charge stop control is performed based on the charge control information corresponding to the performance of each secondary battery. Done. For this reason, after ensuring the safety | security with respect to an overcharge etc., it can charge reliably to the capacity | capacitance which a secondary battery has, and, thereby, can fully utilize the capability which a secondary battery has. Further, it is possible to deal with a secondary battery having a new performance by purchasing only an inexpensive pseudo secondary battery 4D without replacing an expensive charging unit.

  Furthermore, in this related technology, it is only necessary to provide the resistance voltage dividing circuit 47 and the resistance measurement terminal 46 in the pseudo secondary battery 4D, and it is not necessary to provide a ROM or a communication connection terminal. Further, the charging unit 1D does not need to be provided with the optical imaging element 8 or the charging control information table. For this reason, there exists an advantage which can provide an apparatus cheaply compared with the said 1st thru | or 3rd related technology.

  In the above description, the charging control threshold value is calculated by a calculation formula. However, a charge control information table representing the correspondence relationship between the voltage dividing resistance value and the charge control value is provided, and the charge control threshold value corresponding to the voltage dividing resistance value is read from the charge control information table. May be.

(Fifth related technology)
According to a fifth related technology of the present invention, a pseudo-secondary battery is provided with an identification resistor having a resistance value determined in advance corresponding to the secondary battery, while the charging unit is provided between both ends of the identification resistor. A circuit for detecting a voltage value via a power supply connection terminal and a current measuring circuit for detecting a current value flowing through the identification resistor are provided. The charge control value is calculated based on the detected voltage value or the measured current value, and the charge control information stored in the EEPROM is updated to the calculated new charge control value. It is.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a charging device according to the fifth related technique of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the charging device. In these drawings, the same parts as those in FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.
The pseudo secondary battery 4E has a cylindrical shape having the same shape and size as the secondary battery to be charged, and resistance measurement terminals 481 and 482 are provided at both ends thereof. Further, an identification resistor 49 is provided in the pseudo secondary battery 4E as shown in FIG. The resistance value of the identification resistor 49 is set to a unique value in advance in association with the charge control value of the corresponding secondary battery.

  On the other hand, the charging unit 1E is provided with a battery voltage measuring circuit and a current measuring circuit 16. These measurement circuits are all existing circuits used for monitoring the charging operation of the secondary battery. The battery voltage measuring circuit detects the voltage between the terminals of the pseudo secondary battery 4E, that is, the voltage of the identification resistor 49 when the pseudo secondary battery 4E is mounted in the battery housing portion 10. used. Similarly, the current measuring circuit 16 is used to detect the value of the current flowing through the identification resistance value 49 of the pseudo secondary battery 4E when the pseudo secondary battery 4E is mounted in the battery housing unit 10. .

The CPU 12E of the charging unit 1E has a current flowing through the voltage value or the identification resistance value 49 of the identification resistor 49 in accordance with the update control program of the charging control information in a state where the pseudo secondary battery 4E is mounted in the battery housing unit 10. A value is taken in, and a charge control value is calculated based on the taken voltage value or current value. Then, the charge control value stored in the EEPROM 14 is rewritten to the calculated new charge control value. Note that the calculation of the charge control value is performed by, for example, the following equation.
Charge control value = α * current measurement value + β (α and β are constants).

  Since it is such a structure, when a normal secondary battery is mounted in the battery housing part 10 of the charging unit 1E, if a charging current is supplied to the secondary battery, the internal resistance value of the secondary battery is determined. The detected voltage value or charging current value is detected. The voltage value or charging current value corresponding to the internal resistance value is greatly different from the voltage value or current value detected by the identification resistor 49. For this reason, the CPU 12E determines that the mounted secondary battery is a normal secondary battery and starts a charge control operation. When overcharge is likely to occur in the charge control, the charge control of the normal battery stored in the EEPROM 14 is performed. Charging is stopped according to the information.

  On the other hand, when charging another type of secondary battery having a different charging capacity from that of the normal secondary battery, the pseudo secondary battery 4E corresponding to the different type of secondary battery is charged before charging. Attach to the battery housing 10 of 1E. Then, the charging control switch 15 of the charging unit 1E is turned on, whereby the constant current of the constant current charging circuit 11 is transferred to the identification resistor 49 of the pseudo secondary battery 4E via the charging control switch 15 and the resistance measurement terminals 481 and 482. Supplied.

  In this state, the CPU 12E captures the voltage across the pseudo secondary battery 4E, or captures the current value flowing through the pseudo secondary battery 4E from the current measurement circuit 16. Then, based on the taken voltage value or current value, it is determined whether the attached battery is a secondary battery or a pseudo secondary battery 4E. A charge control value is calculated based on the voltage value or current value. Then, the charging control value stored in the EEPROM 14 is updated to the calculated new charging control value.

  Therefore, after the charge control value is updated, if the secondary battery of the different type is attached to the battery housing unit 10 of the charging unit 1E and charging is started, the secondary battery is based on the updated charge control information. Charge stop control is performed. For this reason, the other type of secondary battery is reliably charged up to the capacity of the secondary battery without stopping the charging before reaching full charge. Therefore, the capacity of the secondary battery can be fully utilized.

  As described above, in the fifth related technology, the pseudo-secondary battery 4E is provided with the identification resistor 49 whose resistance value is uniquely set in association with the charge control value of the secondary battery. Then, the voltage value or current value when the charging current is supplied to the identification resistor 49 is measured by the charging unit 1E, the charge control value is calculated based on the measured voltage value or current value, and the EEPROM 14 The stored information is updated to the calculated charge control value.

  Therefore, also in this related technique, appropriate charge stop control is always performed for any type of secondary battery based on the charge control information corresponding to the performance of the secondary battery, as in the related techniques. . For this reason, after ensuring the safety | security with respect to an overcharge etc., it can charge reliably to the capacity | capacitance which a secondary battery has, and, thereby, can fully utilize the capability which a secondary battery has. Further, it is possible to deal with a secondary battery having a new performance by purchasing only an inexpensive pseudo secondary battery 4E without replacing an expensive charging unit.

  Furthermore, in this related technique, the pseudo-secondary battery 4E only needs to be provided with the identification resistor 49, and the charging unit 1E uses the existing voltage measurement circuit and current measurement circuit 16 to determine the voltage value of the identification resistor 49 or Since the current value is measured and the charge control value is updated, the apparatus can be configured at a very low cost.

(Other related technologies)
A wireless IC tag storing charging control information related to the performance of the corresponding secondary battery is attached to the pseudo battery unit. Then, the charging control information may be read from the wireless IC tag by the wireless IC tag reader in the charging unit, and the stored information in the memory may be updated based on the read information. If it does in this way, the information of a pseudo battery unit can be read without contact. Further, by providing the wireless IC tag in the pseudo battery unit, an increase in the price of the secondary battery can be suppressed as compared with the case where the wireless IC tag is attached to all the secondary batteries.

In addition, the configurations of the pseudo battery unit and the charging unit, the charging control information acquisition means, the charging control information update control procedure and contents, the type of the secondary battery, and the like are variously modified without departing from the gist of the present invention. Can be implemented.
In short, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and can be embodied by modifying the components without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the above embodiments. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in each embodiment. Furthermore, you may combine suitably the component covering different embodiment.

The perspective view which shows the external appearance of the charging device concerning the 1st related technique of this invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the charging device shown in FIG. 1. The perspective view which shows the external appearance of the charging device concerning the 2nd related technique of this invention. The block diagram which shows the circuit structure of the charging device shown in FIG. The perspective view which shows the external appearance of the charging device concerning the 3rd related technique of this invention. The figure which shows the relationship between the color of the mark part displayed on the pseudo secondary battery of the charging device shown in FIG. 5, and charging control information. The perspective view which shows the external appearance of the charging device concerning the 4th related technique of this invention. The block diagram which shows the circuit structure of the charging device shown in FIG. The perspective view which shows the external appearance of the charging device concerning the 5th related technique of this invention. The block diagram which shows the circuit structure of the charging device shown in FIG. The block diagram which shows the circuit structure of the charging device concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows the update control procedure and control content of the charge control information by the charging device shown in FIG. The perspective view which shows the external appearance of the charging device concerning 2nd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the charging device shown in FIG. 13. The flowchart which shows the update control procedure and control content of the charging control information by the charging device shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1A-1F ... Charging unit, 21-24, 31-34 ... Power supply connection terminal, 4A-4E ... Pseudo secondary battery, 5, 22B, 32B, 421A, 422A, 421B, 422B ... Communication connection terminal, 6 ... AC plug , 7 ... changeover switch, 10 ... battery housing part, 11, 51 ... constant current charging circuit, 12A to 12E, 52A, 52B ... CPU of the charging unit, 13, 53 ... CPU power supply circuit, 14, 54 ... EEPROM, 15, 55 ... Charge control switch, 411A, 412A to 411D, 412D ... Power connection terminal, 43 ... ROM, 44 ... ROM power supply circuit, 45 ... Mark portion, 46 ... Resistance measurement terminal, 47 ... Resistor, 481,482 ... Resistance measurement Terminal 56, current measurement circuit 57, temperature measurement circuit 58, discharge control switch 59, constant current discharge circuit 60, secondary battery 61, capacity measurement Switch, 62 ... LED.

Claims (3)

Storage means for storing a charging time set corresponding to a full charge or a threshold value of an integrated charging capacity;
First charge control means for charging the secondary battery in the first charge mode;
During the charging operation of the secondary battery, a first determination is made as to whether or not the charging time or accumulated charging capacity exceeds the stored threshold value and whether or not the secondary battery has reached full charge. Determining means,
When it is determined by the first determination means that the secondary battery has not reached full charge when the charging time or the accumulated charge capacity exceeds the threshold value, A second charging control means for charging in the two charging modes;
Second determination means for determining whether or not the secondary battery has reached full charge during charging in the second charging mode;
When it is determined by the second determination means that the secondary battery has reached full charge, the threshold value stored in the storage means is changed based on the total charge time or accumulated charge capacity at that time And a changing device. Storage means for storing a charging time set corresponding to a full charge or a threshold value of an integrated charging capacity;
First charge control means for charging the secondary battery in the first charge mode;
During the charging operation of the secondary battery, a first determination is made as to whether or not the charging time or accumulated charging capacity exceeds the stored threshold value and whether or not the secondary battery has reached full charge. Determining means,
When it is determined by the first determination means that the secondary battery has not reached full charge when the charging time or the accumulated charge capacity exceeds the threshold value, A second charge control means for charging in two charge modes;
Second determination means for determining whether or not the secondary battery has reached full charge during charging in the second charging mode;
A discharge control means for discharging the secondary battery and obtaining a required discharge time or an integrated discharge capacity when the second determination means determines that the secondary battery has reached full charge;
A charging device comprising: a changing means for changing a threshold value stored in the storage means based on the calculated required discharge time or accumulated discharge capacity. The first charging control means performs charging according to a first charging current value,
3. The charging device according to claim 1, wherein the second charging control unit performs charging with a second charging current value smaller than the first charging current value. 4.

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