JP2009183028A - Charger and charging method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To grasp the degree of the deterioration of a battery by a simple constitution, in a charger. <P>SOLUTION: In the charger for charging the battery to be connected, there are provided counting means 13, 23 which count the number of times of the charging of the battery, and a display means 14 which performs display based on the number of times of the charging counted by the counting means. As the counter means, there may be used a means having the switch 13 which is opened and closed according to the connection and the release of the connection of the battery, and the counter 23 which operates on the basis of a signal generated by the opening/closing of the switch, and a means having a counter which operates on the basis of a signal to an indicator 24 indicating that the battery is in charging, or finished in charging. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a charger for charging a battery and a charging method.

  Conventionally, as a method for confirming the state of a battery, a method for confirming by reading information of an IC built in the battery with a personal computer or other devices is known. Moreover, in patent document 1, when a rechargeable battery is used in a device, the device rewrites the number of usages and usage of the rechargeable battery stored in the EEPROM of the rechargeable battery, and the rechargeable battery is charged by a charger. When charging is performed, a charging system is described in which the charger determines whether or not charging is possible and whether or not capacity measurement is necessary based on the usage state and the number of times of use stored in the EEPROM of the rechargeable battery. . The information stored in the EEPROM of the rechargeable battery in the device can include the rechargeable battery type, number, number of times of charge / discharge, battery usage status including the remaining amount of electricity, overcharge / overdischarge / high rate discharge, etc. It is said that there is.

JP 7-307168 A

  However, according to the method of reading battery information by a device as described above, the configuration of the device becomes complicated and the device is expensive. In addition, according to the above-described charger, the number of times of use and the state of use stored in the EEPROM of the battery in the device are only read and used by the charger when charging the battery. The charging operation cannot be controlled based on this. In addition, it is necessary to provide an EEPROM for the battery and to provide a terminal for connecting to the EEPROM on both the charger and the battery.

  An object of the present invention is to make it possible to grasp the degree of deterioration of a battery with a simple configuration in a charger in view of such problems of the prior art.

  In order to achieve this object, a charger according to a first invention is a charger for charging a connected battery, and is counted by a counting means for counting the number of times the battery is charged, and the counting means. And display means for performing display based on the number of times of charging.

  Here, the battery corresponds to, for example, a battery as a single unit, a battery built in the device, or a battery set in the device. The battery is connected by, for example, placing a battery-containing device on the charger so that both charging terminals are in contact with each other. As the display based on the number of times of charging, for example, the number of times of charging itself or the state of the battery corresponding to the number of times of charging correspond. As the state of the battery, for example, a state where the battery is deteriorated corresponds.

  In this configuration, the counting means counts the number of times the battery is charged, for example, by counting up each time the battery is connected. Then, display based on the counted number of times of charging is performed by the display means. This display is performed, for example, when a battery is connected. Therefore, the user can grasp the number of times of charging the battery and the degree of deterioration of the battery according to the number of times of charging by this display.

  A charger according to a second invention is the charger according to the first invention, wherein the counting means includes a switch that opens and closes in response to connection and disconnection of the battery, and a counter that operates based on a signal generated by opening and closing the switch. It is characterized by that.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the charger includes an indicator indicating that charging is in progress or charging is completed, and the counting means includes a counter that operates based on a signal to the indicator. It is characterized by.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a charger according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein an integration unit that integrates a time during which the battery is charged and a charging time that is integrated by the integration unit are displayed. And means for carrying out the above.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect of the invention, the battery charger further includes means for performing a predetermined display on the state of the battery based on the number of times of charging counted by the counting means and the charging time accumulated by the accumulating means. It is characterized by.

  A charger according to a sixth invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first to fifth inventions, the charger has means for preventing charging when the number of times of charging counted by the counting means exceeds a predetermined value. To do.

  A battery charger according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the battery charger according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, further comprising storage means for storing the fact when the charging is abnormally terminated when the battery is charged, and the battery is connected. If the storage means stores a notice of abnormal termination, the storage means has means for controlling so that charging is not performed.

  A charger according to an eighth invention includes reading means for reading unique identification information set in each connected battery in any one of the first to seventh inventions, and each means is provided by the reading means. The operation of each means is performed for each battery based on the read identification information.

  A charging method according to a ninth invention is a charging method in a charger for charging a connected battery, and is based on a counting step of counting the number of times of charging of the battery and the number of times of charging counted by the counting means. And a display step for performing display.

  According to the present invention, the battery charger counts the number of times the battery is charged, and displays based on the counted number of times of charging. Therefore, based on the display, the user can grasp the number of times the battery has been charged and the degree of deterioration. it can.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view of a charger according to an embodiment of the present invention. This charger charges a battery with respect to a predetermined battery built-in device that contains the battery. As shown in the figure, this charger is connected to the charging terminal of the battery built-in device when the battery built-in device is set, and is supplied with power for charging when the battery built-in device is set. A charging terminal 12, a switch 13 for counting the number of times of charging, and a liquid crystal display unit 14 for displaying the number of times of charging counted by the switch 13. The switch 13 is pressed by the battery built-in device to be turned on when the battery built-in device is set. When the switch 13 is turned on, the count value of the counter connected to the switch 13 is incremented. Examples of the battery built-in device include a mobile phone, a transceiver, and a notebook computer.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the charger of FIG. As shown in the figure, the charger further counts the number of times of charging, a charging circuit 21 for charging the battery of the battery built-in device, a control unit 22 composed of a microcomputer for controlling the charging circuit 21 and the like, A counter 23 that supplies a count value to the control unit 22 and an indicator 24 that indicates that charging is in progress and that charging has been completed are provided. The switch 13 is provided between the counter 23 and the ground. When the battery built-in device is set in the charger, the switch 13 is detected and turned on, and the counter 23 is incremented.

  Therefore, the counter 23 counts up every time the battery built-in device is set, and counts the set number as the number of times of charging. The charging indicator 24 is composed of red and green light emitting diodes. When charging is started, the red light emitting diode is turned on to indicate that charging is in progress. When the charging is completed, the red light emitting diode is turned off, and instead the green light emitting diode is turned on to indicate that the charging is completed. When the battery built-in device is removed from the charger, the green light emitting diode is turned off.

  FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view showing the switch 13 portion. In the figure, 31 is a pressing piece that is pressed when the battery built-in device is set in the recess 11 in FIG. 1, 32 is a lead wire connected to the counter 23, and 33 is in contact with the pressed pressing piece 31. It is a contact piece. The contact piece 33 is connected to the ground or the like.

  FIG. 4A shows a state when the switch 13 is in an OFF state. In this state, when the battery built-in device is set in the recess 11 for charging, the push-down piece 11 is pushed down by the battery built-in device. Therefore, as shown in FIG. To the contact piece 23. That is, when the battery built-in device is set in the charger, the switch 13 connects the counter 23 to the ground or the like, so that the counter 23 counts up accordingly.

  In this configuration, when the battery built-in device is set in the recess 11 of the charger, the charger is connected to the battery of the battery built-in device via the charging terminal 12. In response to this, the charging circuit 21 starts supplying charging current to the battery based on a DC input from an AC adapter connected to a household commercial power source (not shown). When this charging current is detected, the controller 22 turns on the red light emitting diode in the indicator 24 to indicate that charging has started. At this time, since the switch 13 is turned on, the counter 23 counts up. The control unit 22 reads the count value of the counter 23 counted up and displays it on the display unit 14.

  Thereafter, when the completion of charging is detected based on the voltage of the battery, the control unit 22 turns off the red light emitting diode and turns on the green light emitting diode. Thereafter, when the battery built-in device is removed from the charger, the control unit 22 turns off the green light emitting diode. At this time, the pressing piece 31 returns to the original position, and the switch 13 is turned off. In this way, each time the battery built-in device is set in the charger and charged, the number of times of charging in the counter 23 is counted up and displayed.

  According to this embodiment, each time the battery built-in device is set in the charger and is charged, the number of times of charging is counted and the count value is displayed. Therefore, the user can incorporate the battery built-in device by displaying the count value. It is possible to check the number of times the charged battery has been charged. Therefore, the user can easily grasp the degree of deterioration of the battery based on the number of times of charging. Therefore, the deteriorated battery can be prevented from being charged.

  FIG. 4 shows a main part of a charger according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, instead of the switch 13 and the counter 23 in the embodiment of FIG. 2, a counter 44 that counts the number of times of charging using the voltage of the connection port to the charging indicator 24 is used. About another structure, it is the same as that of the case of embodiment of FIG. 2, and the block diagram of FIG. 2 is applicable. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 41 denotes a charging control IC constituting the control unit 22, 42 denotes a connection port connected to the red light emitting diode constituting the charging indicator 24, and 43 denotes a connection connected to the green light emitting diode constituting the charging indicator 24. Port.

  A counter 44 is connected to the connection port 42 or 43. The counter 44 is incremented when the voltage of the connection port 42 or 43 becomes high level or low level. Therefore, the battery built-in device is set in the charger, charging is performed, and the red light emitting diode is turned on and off upon completion, but the counter 44 counts up accordingly and the number of times of charging is counted. Become. Alternatively, when the battery built-in device is removed from the charger after the charging is completed, the green diode is turned on and off, but the counter 44 is counted up accordingly, and the number of times of charging is counted. The count value is displayed in the same manner as in the embodiment of FIGS. Therefore, also by this embodiment, the same effect as the case of the embodiment of Drawing 1-Drawing 3 can be produced.

  FIG. 5 shows a display example on the display unit of the charger according to still another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a plurality of battery built-in devices are charged, and the number of times of charging is displayed for each battery to be charged. As display contents in the display section, as shown in the figure, columns of “battery number”, “number of times of charging”, “charging time”, and “battery state” are provided. In the “battery number” column, the battery number set in the battery of the battery built-in device set in the charger for charging is displayed. In the “number of times of charging” column, the charging time accumulated for the battery of the battery built-in device is displayed. In the “battery status” column, the status of the battery of the battery built-in device is displayed. As the state of the battery, those obtained based on the number of times of charging and the charging time are applicable. For example, a display indicating that the battery is deteriorated when charging is performed a predetermined number of times or more and a display indicating that there is no problem in charging when the number of charging is equal to or less than the predetermined number are applicable.

  A battery number unique to the battery of the battery built-in device is set by a digital switch or an EEPROM associated therewith. In addition to the configurations of FIGS. 2 and 4, the charger is provided with an electrical path for reading the battery number and a terminal for connecting both reading paths when the battery built-in device is set. It is necessary to add in the recess 11. Further, it is necessary to provide a storage area for storing the corresponding number of times of charging and charging time for each read battery number. Further, the control unit 22 counts the number of times of charging and accumulates the charging time based on the voltage applied to the connection port 42.

  When the battery built-in device is set in the charger and charging is started, the control unit 22 reads the battery number from the battery built-in device, and reads the number of times of charging and the charging time corresponding to the read battery number from the corresponding recording area. . Then, the read charge count is incremented. The read battery number, the incremented charge count, and the read charge time are displayed in the “battery number” column, “charge count” column, and “charge time” column on the display screen of the display unit 14, respectively. Further, the battery state is displayed in the “battery state” column based on the incremented number of times of charging and the read charging time.

  While charging is being performed, the control unit 22 periodically updates the display of the charging time in the “charging time” column. When updating, the “charging time” field is rewritten so that the time obtained by adding the elapsed time from the start of charging to the read charging time is displayed. When charging is completed, the control unit 22 updates the storage area. That is, the incremented number of times of charging and the charging time obtained by adding the current charging time to the read charging time are written in the recording area corresponding to the read battery number, and the current charging result is reflected. During this time, the indicator 24 is displayed in the same manner as in the embodiment of FIG.

  According to the present embodiment, the battery number unique to each battery built-in device is set, the number of times of charging and the charging time are integrated for each battery, and displayed. Individual information such as the number of times of charging can be provided to the user. Therefore, the user can confirm the usage status of the battery for each battery built-in device based on the provided information, and avoid charging the deteriorated battery.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately modified and implemented. For example, in the above description, the battery of the battery built-in device is the target of charging by the charger, but instead of this, the battery in the device in which the battery is set or the single battery may be the target of charging.

  In the above description, the battery of the battery built-in device is connected to the battery via the charging terminal 12, but instead, other connection means such as a jack and a plug may be used. Good.

  Although not mentioned above, a reset button for resetting the count values of the counters 23 and 44 may be provided.

  Although not mentioned in the above description, the control unit may take measures such as controlling the charging circuit 21 so that the deteriorated battery is not charged as needed based on the accumulated number of times of charging and charging time. 22 may be taken. For example, by setting an upper limit value of the number of times of charging and controlling the charging circuit 21 so that charging is not performed when the upper limit is exceeded, extreme overcharging of a deteriorated battery is prevented. You may do it.

  1 to 3, the counter is operated based on the on / off state of the switch 13. In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the counter is connected to the indicator 24 based on the voltage at the connection port. Although the counter is operated, instead of this, the counter may be operated based on both on / off of the switch 13 and the voltage of the connection port to improve the counting accuracy.

  In the above description, a liquid crystal display device is used as the display unit 14, but instead, simpler display means such as a light emitting diode may be used.

  Although not mentioned above, when charging is abnormally terminated during charging, the control unit 22 causes the storage means to store that fact, and then when the battery is reconnected to the charger, the storage means When the fact that the abnormal termination has been stored is stored, the control unit 22 may control the charging circuit 21 so that charging is not performed, thereby improving safety. In the case of the embodiment of FIG. 5, this control may be performed for each battery.

It is a top view of the charger which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the charger of FIG. It is a perspective view which expands and shows the switch part of the charger of FIG. It is a figure which shows the principal part of the charger which concerns on another embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a display in the display part of the charger which concerns on another embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  11: recessed portion, 12: charging terminal, 13: switch, 14: display unit, 21: charging circuit, 22: control unit, 23: counter, 24: indicator, 31: pressing piece, 32: lead wire, 33: contact piece , 41: charge control IC, 42, 43: connection port.

Claims (9)

A charger for charging a connected battery,
Counting means for counting the number of times the battery is charged;
And a display means for performing display based on the number of times of charging counted by the counting means. The counting means includes
A switch that opens and closes according to the connection and disconnection of the battery,
The charger according to claim 1, further comprising a counter that operates based on a signal generated by opening and closing the switch. With an indicator to indicate that charging is in progress or charging is complete,
The charger according to claim 1, wherein the counting means includes a counter that operates based on a signal to the indicator. Integrating means for integrating the time of charging the battery;
The charger according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising means for displaying the charging time accumulated by the accumulation means.   5. The charger according to claim 4, further comprising a unit that performs a predetermined display on the state of the battery based on the number of times of charging counted by the counting unit and the charging time accumulated by the accumulating unit.   The charger according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising means for preventing charging when the number of times of charging counted by the counting means exceeds a predetermined value. When charging is abnormally terminated when the battery is charged, the storage means for storing that effect,
7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for controlling charging so as not to be performed when the fact that the storage means is abnormally stored is stored in the storage means when the battery is connected. The charger according to claim 1. Comprising reading means for reading unique identification information set for each battery to be connected;
8. The charging according to claim 1, wherein each unit performs the operation of each unit for each battery based on the identification information read by the reading unit. vessel. A charging method in a charger for charging a connected battery,
A counting step of counting the number of times the battery is charged;
And a display step of performing display based on the number of times of charging counted by the counting means.

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