JP2014033525A - Charger, battery pack, and charging system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a charging system which can perform optimum charging depending on the performance of a charger and a battery pack.SOLUTION: A charging system includes a charger 1A having a secondary battery 2a, and a battery pack 2A that can be attached to the charger 1A. The charger 1A includes charging sections 10, 20, 30 performing the charging operation of the secondary battery, and battery type determination short means 8 for outputting a first short signal to the battery pack 2A when attachment thereof is detected. The battery pack 2A includes battery type determination element release means 2g for outputting a second short signal to the charger 1A when the first short signal is inputted therefrom. The charger 1A further includes an apparatus side microcomputer 50 for controlling the charging operation by the charging sections 10, 20, 30, depending on the fact whether or not the second short signal is inputted from the battery pack 2A for the first short signal.

Description

  The present invention relates to a charging device, a battery pack, and a charging system.

  As a charging method for charging a battery pack, a method for detecting current, voltage, battery pack temperature, etc., and a charging time are counted, and charging is terminated after a predetermined time elapses from the start of charging. A charging device is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Among these, for example, when charging a battery pack having a capacity of 3 Ah using a charging device that counts the charging time, charging is started by constant current control with a charging current of 1 A, and the charging starts from the charging start. Charging is terminated after a little longer time than charging time (about 3 hours).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-192670

  However, such a charging device that counts the charging time has a problem that it cannot sufficiently charge a large-capacity battery pack that requires a charging time longer than the charging time preset in the charging device. For example, in the case of charging a battery pack having a capacity of 10 Ah with a charging device with constant current control at the charging current of 1 A, a charging time of about 10 hours is originally required, but it takes 3 hours by counting the charging time in the charging device. Energization is terminated at a degree, and it is not possible to charge to a sufficient capacity.

  For such a problem, it is conceivable to prepare a dedicated charging device according to the capacity of the battery pack. However, considering the convenience of the user, the battery pack and the charging device are conventional ones. It is desirable to have compatibility.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks of the prior art in which the specification cannot be flexibly changed to a product different from the originally assumed specification, such as the above-described charging device that counts the charging time. To provide a charging system capable of performing optimum charging according to each performance.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a new type of charging device to which a battery pack having a secondary battery can be attached, comprising: a charging unit that performs a charging operation on the secondary battery; and the attachment of the battery pack. A device-side signal output unit that outputs a first signal to the battery pack when detected, and a device-side control unit that controls the charging operation by the charging unit, wherein the device-side control unit includes the first A charging device is provided that controls the charging operation by the charging unit in accordance with whether or not a second signal corresponding to a signal is input from the battery pack.

  According to such a configuration, the charging device can determine the characteristics of the battery pack by exchanging the first signal and the second signal, and thus can perform charge control suitable for the characteristics of the battery pack. Become.

  The charging device of the present invention further includes a device-side terminal for exchanging information with the battery pack when the battery pack is mounted, and the first signal and the second signal are the device Input / output is preferably performed via a side terminal.

  Here, it is more preferable that the device-side terminal also serves as an existing terminal provided for other purposes, for example, a battery pack temperature monitor or an overcharge / overdischarge signal. According to such a configuration, since existing terminals are used for input and output of the first signal and the second signal, it is possible to reduce cost and complexity of the circuit configuration.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the said device side control part changes the charge time of the said secondary battery by the said charging part according to whether the said 2nd signal was input.

  According to such a configuration, since the secondary battery is charged in a charging time corresponding to the capacity of the battery pack, it is possible to suppress insufficient charging of the battery pack.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, the battery-side signal output unit that outputs the second signal to the charging device when the first signal is input from the new charging device is provided. A new battery pack is offered.

  According to such a configuration, the characteristics of the battery pack can be transmitted to the charging device by exchanging the first signal and the second signal, so that charging control suitable for the characteristics of the battery pack can be performed. Become.

  The new battery pack according to the present invention further includes a battery-side terminal for exchanging the information with the charging device when the battery pack is attached to the charging device, and the first signal and the second signal are It is preferable that input / output is performed via the battery side terminal.

  Here, it is more preferable that the battery-side terminal also serves as an existing terminal provided for other purposes, for example, a battery pack temperature monitor or an overcharge / overdischarge signal. According to such a configuration, since existing terminals are used for input and output of the first signal and the second signal, it is possible to reduce cost and complexity of the circuit configuration.

  According to still another aspect of the present invention, a battery pack that can be attached to a conventional charging device that terminates power supply after the first charging time has elapsed by counting the charging time, and is fully charged. A secondary battery that requires a second charging time longer than the first charging time, and a charging time of the charging device is counted after a third charging time shorter than the first charging time has elapsed since the start of charging. There is provided a new type battery pack comprising a battery side signal output unit for outputting a reset signal for resetting to the charging device.

  According to such a configuration, since the conventional charging device that finishes charging in a short charging time can be operated a plurality of times to continue charging the battery pack, before the battery pack is fully charged. It is suppressed that the charging is completed.

  In addition, the process of resetting the count is performed by blocking the output applied to the charging device for a predetermined time when the battery is connected, or outputting a reset signal from the battery-side signal output unit to the charging device. It is preferable to do.

  According to such a configuration, the process of resetting the count can be realized with a simple configuration.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, the charging system of the present invention is a charging system comprising: a charging device having a secondary battery; and a battery pack attachable to the charging device, wherein the charging The apparatus includes: a charging unit that performs a charging operation on the secondary battery; and a device-side signal output unit that outputs a first signal to the battery pack when the battery pack is detected to be attached. A battery-side signal output unit that outputs a second signal to the charging device when the first signal is input from the charging device, and the charging device is configured to output the battery pack in response to the first signal. And a device-side control unit that controls the charging operation by the charging unit according to whether or not a second signal is input from the charging unit.

  According to such a configuration, since the charging device can determine the characteristics of the battery pack by exchanging the first signal and the second signal, it is possible to perform charging control suitable for the characteristics of the battery pack. A charging system can be constructed.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the charging system which can perform the optimal charge according to the performance of a charging device and a battery pack can be provided, maintaining compatibility with the conventional battery pack and charging device. It should be noted that the present invention does not provide an effect limited to the relationship between the capacity of the battery pack and the charging time, and that the charging device can perform optimum charging control with respect to the type and charging / discharging characteristics of the battery pack. This is an effect invention.

Circuit diagram of a charging system in which a 10Ah battery is attached to a 10Ah battery compatible charging device Circuit diagram of a charging system in which a 3Ah battery is mounted on a 10Ah battery compatible charging device Circuit diagram of a charging system in which a 10Ah battery is mounted on a 3Ah battery compatible charging device The flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of the charging device corresponding to a 10 Ah battery. The flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of a 10Ah battery.

  Hereinafter, as an embodiment of the present invention, an embodiment relating to control of battery capacity and charging time will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  In the present embodiment, the battery pack 2A having a large capacity of 10Ah or the like according to the present invention or the battery pack 2 composed of the existing small capacity (such as 3Ah) battery pack 2B and the battery packs 2A and 2B can be supported. The present invention relates to a charging system to which a charging device 1A according to the present invention or a charging device 1 composed of an existing charging device 1B that is not compatible with a battery pack 2A is connected.

  In the present embodiment, as an example, battery pack 2A has a capacity that is fully charged by charging for a predetermined time a (10 hours in the present embodiment) with a charging current having a current value of 1A. 2B has a capacity that is fully charged by charging over a predetermined time b (3 hours in the present embodiment) at the charging current of 1A.

  In addition, when the battery pack 2A is mounted, the charging device 1A, for example, after charging for a predetermined time a with a charging current having a current value of 1A, ends the charging, and the battery pack 2B is mounted. The charging is terminated after charging for a predetermined time b with the charging current of 1A.

  On the other hand, the existing charging device 1B terminates the charging after supplying power for a predetermined time b with a charging current such as the current value 1A regardless of whether the battery pack 2A or the battery pack 2B is mounted. It has a configuration.

  In the following, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5, a combination of a new type of charging device 1A having a control means such as a microcomputer and a battery pack 2A, and the charging device 1A, the battery pack 2A and the existing charging device 1B are mainly used. The combination with the battery pack 2B will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of a charging system in which a new large-capacity battery pack 2A is mounted on a new charging apparatus 1A. FIG. 2 is a diagram of a charging system in which an existing small-capacity battery pack 2B is mounted on the charging apparatus 1A. FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of a charging system in which a new large-capacity battery pack 2A is mounted on an existing charging device 1B.

  First, the outline of the charging system will be described using a combination of the new charging device 1A and the new large-capacity battery pack 2A shown in FIG. The battery pack 2A includes a plurality of battery cells 2a, a protection IC 2b, a battery type determination element 2c, a temperature detection element 2d such as a thermistor, a constant voltage power source 2e, a battery side microcomputer 2f, and a battery type determination element opening means. 2g, a battery type discriminating element shorting means 2h, a thermistor opening means 2i, and a short signal transmitting means 2j.

  The battery type discriminating element opening means 2g and the thermistor opening means 2i correspond to the battery side signal output section of the present invention.

  In addition, the plurality of battery cells 2a are connected in series, and each is formed of a cell made of a known secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery.

  The protection IC 2b monitors the voltage of each battery cell 2a, and outputs a charge stop signal to the charging device 1A when it is determined that even one of the plurality of battery cells 2a is in an abnormal state such as overvoltage or overdischarge. .

  The battery type discriminating element 2c is an element indicating a numerical value corresponding to the number of battery cells 2a included in the battery pack 2, and preferably has a specific resistance value due to the identification resistance element. When the battery pack 2A is attached to the charging device 1A, one end of the battery type discrimination element 2c is connected to the charging device 1A, and the charging device forms an electrical circuit with the battery pack 2.

  The thermistor 2d as a temperature sensing element is arranged in contact with or close to the battery cell 2a, and a numerical value, here, a resistance value changes according to the battery temperature in the battery pack 2. When the battery pack 2 is attached to the charging device 1A, one end of the thermistor 2d is connected to the charging device 1A, and the charging device and the battery pack 2 form an electrical circuit.

  The constant voltage power source 2e generates a drive voltage from the voltages of the plurality of battery cells 2a and supplies it to the battery side microcomputer 2f.

  The battery type discrimination element opening means 2g is a switching element arranged between the other end of the battery type discrimination element 2c and GND. The battery type discriminating element opening means 2g is normally on, and when the battery type discriminating element opening means 2g is on, the cell number signal corresponding to the resistance value of the battery type discriminating element 2c is charged. Input to device 1A.

  The battery type discriminating element shorting means 2h is a switching element arranged between one end of the battery type discriminating element 2c and GND. The battery type discriminating element short-circuit means 2h is normally turned off, and is turned on when a second short signal to be described later is input.

  The thermistor opening means 2i is a switching element arranged between the other end of the thermistor 2d and GND. The thermistor opening means 2i is normally on, and when the thermistor opening means 2i is on, a temperature signal corresponding to the resistance value of the thermistor 2d is input to the charging device 1A.

  In the present embodiment, the charging device 1A or 1B to which the battery pack 2A or 2B is attached exemplifies a configuration capable of performing a charging operation when a cell number signal and a temperature signal are input. However, any one of the cell number signal and the temperature signal, or any other configuration capable of recognizing that the battery pack and the charging device are connected may be used.

  The battery side microcomputer 2f is configured to be able to control on / off of the battery type discriminating element opening means 2g, the battery type discriminating element shorting means 2h, and the thermistor opening means 2i.

  Although details will be described later, when the new large-capacity battery pack 2A is attached to the new charging device 1A, the first short signal is sent to the battery-side microcomputer 2f from the charging device 1A via the short signal transmission means 2j. Is input, and the battery-side microcomputer 2f turns on the battery type determination element shorting means 2h in response to the first short signal. As a result, the second short signal is input to the charging device 1A. When the second short signal is input, the mounted battery pack 2 is replaced with the new large-capacity battery pack 2A on the charging device 1A side. It is possible to determine that there is.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, when the existing small-capacity battery pack 2B is mounted on the new charging device 1A, the existing small-capacity battery pack 2B does not have the battery-side microcomputer 2f, and the first short-circuit Since no signal is input, the second short signal is not input to the charging device 1A. As a result, on the new charging device 1A side, it is possible to determine that the attached battery pack 2 is an existing small-capacity battery pack 2B, and charging is performed in the same manner as in the past.

  Next, when the new large-capacity battery 2A is attached to the existing charger 1B shown in FIG. 3, as described above, the existing charging device 1B has a predetermined time b (this embodiment) from the start of charging. In this case, the charging is terminated after the elapse of 3 hours. Therefore, when the 10Ah battery pack 2A is attached to the charging device 1B, the charging is terminated before the battery is fully charged.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the battery pack 2A is attached to the charging device 1B, the battery-side microcomputer 2f causes the battery type discriminating element opening means 2g after the elapse of a predetermined time c shorter than the predetermined time b from the start of charging. Further, by temporarily turning off the thermistor opening means 2i, a state similar to that when the battery is virtually removed is generated, thereby resetting the count of the charging device 1B and continuing the charging.

  Specifically, as described above, the charging devices 1A and 1B according to the present embodiment are configured to perform the charging operation when the cell number signal and the temperature signal are input. When the thermistor opening means 2i is turned off, the state is the same as when the battery pack is removed, and the charging operation is stopped. In this case, the charging time count is also reset at the same time.

  Therefore, when the battery type discriminating element opening means 2g and the thermistor opening means 2i are turned on again, the charging device recognizes that a new battery pack has been installed and starts charging operation, and at the same time, counts the charging time. Will also be started anew. By repeating such an operation, the 10 Ah battery pack 2A can be charged to the full charge with the existing charging device 1B.

  With the above operation, it is possible to fully charge each battery pack while maintaining compatibility in all combinations of new and existing charging devices and battery packs. In addition, about the combination of the existing charging device 1B and the existing battery pack 2B, since the said subject does not arise and it can be charged by the conventional method, description is abbreviate | omitted.

  Hereinafter, the outline of the other components of the charging device and the battery pack in the present embodiment will be described. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that these constituent elements are only a preferable example, and can be replaced with other well-known constituent elements and can be omitted as appropriate.

  The charging device 1A includes a primary side rectification / smoothing circuit 10, a switching circuit 20, a secondary side rectification / smoothing circuit 30, a current detection resistor 3, a charging current setting means 70, a charging current control circuit 60, Charging voltage control circuit 100, charging control signal transmission means 4, charging current signal transmission means 5, constant voltage power supply circuit 40, rectification / smoothing circuit 6, battery type discrimination resistor 7, and battery type discrimination short means 8 A battery temperature detecting means 80, a battery voltage detecting means 90, a display means 9, and a device-side microcomputer 50.

  In addition, the primary side rectification / smoothing circuit 10, the switching circuit 20, and the secondary side rectification / smoothing circuit 30 correspond to the charging unit of the present invention. The battery type discrimination short means 8 corresponds to the apparatus side signal output unit of the present invention. The device-side microcomputer 50 corresponds to the device-side controller of the present invention.

  The primary side rectification / smoothing circuit 10 includes a full-wave rectification circuit 11 including a rectifier diode connected in a bridge and a smoothing capacitor 12, and full-wave rectifies the AC power supplied from the AC power supply 200. .

  The switching circuit 20 includes a high-frequency transformer 21, a MOSFET 22, and a PWM control IC 23.

  The MOSFET 22 is connected in series to the primary side of the high-frequency transformer 21 and is turned on / off based on a drive pulse signal applied from the PWM control IC 23 to the gate electrode.

  The PWM control IC 23 controls the start and stop of the charging operation based on a control signal transmitted from the apparatus-side microcomputer 50 via the charging control signal transmission unit 4. Specifically, when the control signal is at a high level, the on / off operation of the MOSFET 22 is permitted, and when the control signal is at a LOW level, it is not permitted.

  Further, the PWM control IC 23 changes the drive pulse width supplied to the gate electrode of the MOSFET 22 based on the control signal transmitted from the charging current control circuit 60 or the charging voltage control circuit 100 via the charging current signal transmission means 5. Thereby, the ON time of the MOSFET 22 is controlled, and as a result, the power output from the high-frequency transformer 21 is controlled.

  The secondary side rectifying / smoothing circuit 30 includes a rectifying diode 31, a smoothing capacitor 32, and a discharging resistor 33. The pulse power output from the secondary side of the high-frequency transformer 21 is half-wave rectified by the rectifying diode 31 and the smoothing capacitor 32 and supplied to the battery pack 2 as charging power. The discharging resistor 33 is for discharging the electric power stored in the smoothing capacitor 32 when the power supply is stopped.

  The current detection resistor 3 detects the charging current flowing through the current detection resistor 3 and outputs it to the charging current control circuit 60. Specifically, the voltage drop in the current detection resistor 3 is output to an inverting amplifier circuit constituted by an operational amplifier 61 and resistors 62 and 63 of a charging current control circuit 60 described later.

  The charging current setting means 70 includes resistors 71 and 72, and the divided voltage of the reference voltage Vcc by the resistors 71 and 72 is input to the charging current control circuit 60 as a setting charging current that becomes a reference in constant current control. Is done.

  The charging current control circuit 60 and the charging voltage control circuit 100 are circuits for controlling the charging current and the charging voltage of the battery pack 2, respectively.

  The charging current control circuit 60 includes operational amplifiers 61 and 65, input resistors 62 and 64 of the operational amplifiers 61 and 65, feedback resistors 63 and 66 of the operational amplifiers 61 and 65, a diode 68, and a current limiting resistor 67. ing.

  The charging current control circuit 60 inverts and amplifies the voltage drop based on the charging current flowing through the current detection resistor 3 by the operational amplifier 61, and the operational amplifier 65 sets the difference between the output voltage and the set charging current input from the charging current setting means 70. The comparison result is output to the PWM control IC 23 via the charging current signal transmission means 5. In this way, the charging current control circuit 60 performs constant current control so that the charging current becomes the set charging current. The output stage of the operational amplifier 61 is also connected to the apparatus-side microcomputer 50 in order to output a current signal to the apparatus-side microcomputer 50.

  The charge voltage control circuit 100 includes resistors 101, 103, 105, 106, and 106, a potentiometer 102, a capacitor 104, a rectifier diode 107, and a shunt regulator 108.

  Since the combined voltage of the resistor 101 and the potentiometer 102 and the divided voltage of the battery voltage by the resistor 105 are input to the reference terminal r of the shunt regulator 108, the voltage input to the reference terminal r is When the voltage is larger than the target voltage, a current flows from the diode 107 toward the resistor 106. In this way, the charging voltage control circuit 100 performs constant voltage control so that the charging voltage becomes the set voltage.

  In the present embodiment, the charging current signal transmission means 5 is connected to the charging current control circuit 60 and the charging voltage control circuit 100 through an OR circuit.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, at the initial stage of charging where the charging current is higher than the set value, the charging device 1A performs charging by constant current control by the charging current control circuit 60, charging proceeds, and the charging voltage reaches the set voltage. When it increases, the charging voltage control circuit 100 switches to constant voltage control.

  The constant voltage power supply circuit 40 includes transformers 41a to 41c, a switching element 42, a control element 43, a rectifier diode 44, capacitors 45 and 47, a three-terminal regulator 46, and a reset IC 48. A stabilized DC voltage Vcc is generated from the voltage output from the secondary side rectifying / smoothing circuit 10 and supplied to various control circuits such as the device side microcomputer 50 and operational amplifiers 61 and 65. The reset IC 48 is for outputting a reset signal when the AC power source 200 is connected to the charging device 1A.

  The rectifying / smoothing circuit 6 includes a transformer 6a, a rectifying diode 6b, and a smoothing capacitor 6c, and rectifies and smoothes the AC power output from the transformer 41a of the constant voltage power supply circuit 40 to perform PWM control. The driving power is supplied to the IC 23.

  The battery type discrimination resistor 7 has a predetermined resistance value, and when the battery pack 2A is not attached to the charging device 1A, the DC voltage Vcc is input to the device-side microcomputer 50.

  On the other hand, when the battery pack 2A is attached to the charging device 1A, that is, when the charging device side terminals A1, A2 and the battery side terminals B1, B2 are connected, the battery type discriminating element of the battery pack 2A. A voltage corresponding to the state of the opening means 2g and the battery type discriminating element shorting means 2h is input to the apparatus side microcomputer 50 and the battery side microcomputer 2f.

  Specifically, when the battery type discriminating element shorting means 2h is off and the battery type discriminating element opening means 2g is on, the voltage is divided by the battery type discriminating resistor 7 and the battery type discriminating element 2c of the DC voltage Vcc. Is input to the device-side microcomputer 50 and the battery-side microcomputer 2f as a cell number signal. In this case, the charging device 1A or 1B is in a state in which a charging operation can be performed.

  On the other hand, when the battery type discriminating element shorting means 2h and the battery type discriminating element opening means 2g are off, the DC voltage Vcc is input to the device side microcomputer 50 and the battery side microcomputer 2f. In this case, the charging device 1A or 1B stops the charging operation.

  When the battery type discrimination element shorting means 2h is on, a GND level voltage is input to the device side microcomputer 50 and the battery side microcomputer 2f regardless of the state of the battery type discrimination element opening means 2g. As will be described later, this voltage is for canceling the second short signal.

  The battery type discrimination short means 8 is a switching element arranged between the low voltage side terminal of the battery type discrimination resistor 7 and GND. The battery type discrimination short means 8 is normally turned off, and when the battery type discrimination short means 8 is turned off, a cell number signal corresponding to the resistance value of the battery type discrimination element 2c is displayed on the device side microcomputer. 50.

  The battery temperature detecting means 80 is composed of resistors 81 and 82, and the divided voltage of the reference voltage Vcc by the resistor 81 and the combined resistance of the thermistor 2d and the resistor 82 is sent to the device-side microcomputer 50 as a temperature signal. Entered.

  The battery voltage detection means 90 includes resistors 91 and 92, and a divided voltage of the battery voltage by the resistor 91 and the resistor 92 is output to the apparatus-side microcomputer 50 as a voltage signal.

  The display means 9 includes a display circuit 9a composed of red LEDs (R) and green LEDs (G), and current limiting resistors 9b and 9c connected to the LEDs.

  In the present embodiment, when the battery pack 2 is not charged, a HIGH signal is output from the output port 51a of the apparatus-side microcomputer 50 to the resistor 9b, thereby turning on the red LED (R) indicating that the battery pack 2 is not charged. . When the battery pack 2 is after charging, a HIGH signal is output from the output port 51a to the resistor 9c, thereby turning on the green LED (G) indicating the end of charging. Further, when the battery pack 2 is being charged, a HIGH signal is output from the output port 51a to both the resistor 9b and the resistor 9c. In this case, since the red LED (R) and the green LED (G) are turned on at the same time, the display circuit 9a is turned on in orange indicating charging.

  The apparatus-side microcomputer 50 includes a CPU 51, an output port 51a, an output port 51b, an A / D converter 52, and a reset input port 53.

  The A / D converter 52 converts analog signals (the above-described current signal, cell number signal, temperature signal, and voltage signal) into digital signals. The reset signal described above is input from the reset IC 48 to the reset input port 53.

  The CPU 51 outputs a charge start signal from the output port 51 a to the charge control transmission signal means 4 based on the cell number signal input from the battery type determination resistor 7.

  In addition, when the temperature signal indicates a charging abnormality, the CPU 51 stops charging by outputting a charging stop signal from the output port 51a to the charging control signal transmission means 4.

  The CPU 51 also displays a charge state signal indicating the charge state of the battery pack 2 based on the current signal input from the operational amplifier 61 of the charge current control circuit 60 and the voltage signal input from the battery voltage detection means 90. Output to 9.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the CPU 51 temporarily turns on the battery type discrimination short means 8 when the battery pack 2A or 2B is attached to the charging device 1A. When the battery type discrimination short means 8 is turned on, the first short signal at the GND level is input to the battery pack 2A or 2B.

  Further, in charging apparatus 1A according to the present embodiment, CPU 51 counts the charging time, and stops charging by outputting a charging stop signal from output port 51a to charging control signal transmitting means 4 after a predetermined time has elapsed. .

  Specifically, as described above, when the charging device 1A is attached to the battery pack 2A, the CPU 51 stops the charging after the predetermined time a has elapsed.

  When the charging device 1A is attached to the battery pack 2B, the CPU 51 stops the charging after a predetermined time b has elapsed.

  Moreover, also when the charging device 1B is attached to the battery pack 2A or 2B, the CPU 51 stops charging after the predetermined time b has elapsed.

  When neither the cell number signal nor the temperature signal is input, the CPU 51 is configured to reset the count at the same time as stopping the charging in any of the charging devices 1A and 1B.

  Next, control of a series of operations by the apparatus-side microcomputer 50 in the charging system of the present embodiment will be described using the flowchart of FIG. The flowchart of FIG. 4 starts when the charging device 1A is turned on, that is, when the charging device 1A is connected to the AC power source 200. In the flowchart of FIG. 4, it is assumed that the battery pack 2A or 2B is not attached to the charging device 1A at the start.

  First, the device-side microcomputer 50 turns on the red LED (R) of the display means 9 to display that it is before charging (S401).

  Subsequently, the device-side microcomputer 50 determines whether or not the battery pack 2A or 2B is attached to the charging device 1A (S402). In the present embodiment, when the cell number signal and the temperature signal are input to the apparatus-side microcomputer 50, it is determined that the battery pack 2A or 2B is attached.

  When the battery pack 2A or 2B is attached to the charging device 1A (S402: YES), the device-side microcomputer 50 turns on the red LED (R) and the green LED (G) of the display means 9 at the same time, It is displayed that charging is in progress (S403).

  Subsequently, the device-side microcomputer 50 turns on the battery type discrimination short means 8 (S404).

  As a result, the first short signal at the GND level is input to the battery-side microcomputer 2f of the battery pack 2A, and the battery pack 2A sends the second short signal to the charging device 1A according to the first short signal. Will be output.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, when the battery pack 2 connected to the charging device 1A is the battery pack 2B, the battery type discriminating element shorting means 2h is not provided. The second short signal cannot be output to the charging device 1A.

  Subsequently, the device-side microcomputer 50 turns off the battery type discrimination short means 8 (cancels the first short signal) (S405), and then from the battery type discrimination resistor 7 (battery pack 2A or 2B) within a predetermined time. It is determined whether a second short signal of GND level is input (S406).

  When the second short signal is input within the predetermined time (S406: YES), the device-side microcomputer 50 determines that the 10Ah battery pack 2A is attached to the charging device 1A as shown in FIG. Then, the battery A flag related to the battery pack 2A is set to 1 (S407).

  On the other hand, if the second short signal is not input within the predetermined time (S406: NO), the device-side microcomputer 50 has the existing 3Ah battery pack 2B attached to the charging device 1A as shown in FIG. The battery B flag related to the battery pack 2B is set to 1 (S408).

  As described above, in this embodiment, the charging device 1A corresponding to the 10Ah battery pack 2A is connected on the battery pack 2A side by the exchange of the first short signal and the second short signal. On the side, since it can be detected that the 10 Ah battery pack 2A is connected, it is possible to perform charge control suitable for those characteristics thereafter.

  Subsequently, in order to start charging, the device-side microcomputer 50 outputs a LOW signal to the charging control signal transmission means 4 to make the PWM control IC 23 operable (S409), and then the battery A flag is set. It is determined whether or not 1 (S410).

  When the battery A flag is 1 (S410: YES), since the battery pack 2A is attached to the charging device 1A, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time a corresponding to the battery pack 2A has passed. (S411).

  On the other hand, when the battery A flag is not 1 (S410: NO), since the battery pack 2B is attached to the charging device 1A, it is subsequently determined whether or not a predetermined time b corresponding to the battery pack 2B has elapsed. Judgment is made (S412).

  When the predetermined time a or b has elapsed (S411: YES or S412: YES), the green LED (G) of the display means 9 is turned on to indicate that the charging is completed (S413). Then, the charging is terminated by outputting a HIGH signal to the charging control signal transmission means 4 and stopping the PWM control IC 23 (S414).

  On the other hand, when the predetermined time a or b has not elapsed (S411: NO or S412: NO), it is determined whether or not the battery pack 2A or 2B is fully charged by a method other than the charging time. (S415).

  Various methods are conceivable as a method for detecting full charge. For example, in the case of a lithium ion battery, the charge current must be equal to or less than a predetermined value in a constant voltage section in general constant current / constant voltage control charging. Can be determined to be fully charged.

  When it is determined that the battery pack 2A or 2B is fully charged (S415: YES), the process proceeds to S413 and S414, and the charging is terminated.

  Next, control of a series of operations by the battery-side microcomputer 2f of the new battery pack 2A in the charging system of the present embodiment will be described using the flowchart of FIG. The flowchart of FIG. 5 starts when the battery pack 2A is attached to the charging device 1A or 1B.

  First, the battery side microcomputer 2f turns on the battery type discriminating element opening means 2g and the thermistor opening means 2i (S501). Thereby, the cell number signal and the temperature signal are input to the charging device 1A or 1B, and the charging device 1A or 1B enters a state in which a charging operation can be performed.

  Subsequently, the battery-side microcomputer 2f determines whether or not the first short signal is input from the charging device 1A or 2B within a predetermined time (S502).

  When the first short signal is input within the predetermined time (S502: YES), the battery-side microcomputer 2f determines that the battery pack 2A is attached to the charging device 1A as shown in FIG. Then, after setting the charging device A flag relating to the charging device 1A to 1 (S503), the battery type discriminating element shorting means 2h is turned on (S504). As a result, the second short signal at the GND level is input to the charging device 1A.

  Thereafter, the battery-side microcomputer 2f turns off the battery type determination element shorting means 2h (S505), and the flowchart ends.

  Note that the charging device 1A side determines that the attached battery pack 2 is the battery pack 2A when the second short signal is input (S406 in FIG. 4), and terminates the charging after a predetermined time a has elapsed. It will be.

  On the other hand, when the first short signal is not input within the predetermined time (S502: NO), the battery side microcomputer 2f has the battery pack 2A attached to the existing charging device 1B as shown in FIG. The charging device B flag related to the charging device 1B is set to 1 (S506).

  Here, in the charging device 1B, a predetermined time b (3 hours in the present embodiment) is set as a charging time corresponding to the existing 3Ah battery pack 2B. Charging ends before it is fully charged.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the battery-side microcomputer 2f, after the battery pack 2A is attached to the charging device 1B, after the elapse of a predetermined time c shorter than the predetermined time b (S507: YES), the battery type discriminating element opening means 2g. Then, the thermistor opening means 2i is turned off (S508).

  When the battery type discriminating element opening means 2g and the thermistor opening means 2i are turned off, the cell number signal and the temperature signal are not input to the charging apparatus 1B. Therefore, the charging apparatus 1B has the battery pack 2A connected to the charging apparatus 1B. It is determined that the battery has been removed, and charging is stopped and the count is reset at the same time.

  Thereafter, the battery-side microcomputer 2f turns on the battery type determination element opening means 2g and the thermistor opening means 2i again (S509), and returns to S507.

  Thus, although charging is temporarily interrupted, charging to the new 10Ah battery pack 2A is continued in a state where the count is reset.

  By repeating the operations from step 507 to step 509, it is possible to avoid a shortage of capacity used for counting in the apparatus-side microcomputer 50.

  Although not shown in FIG. 5, in the present embodiment, when the predetermined time c is repeated a plurality of times, the battery-side microcomputer 2f ends the flowchart after YES in S507.

  As a result, the battery pack is prevented from being overcharged by being charged more than necessary.

  As described above, in the charging system according to the present embodiment, the charging device 1A can determine the characteristics of the battery pack 2 by exchanging the first short signal and the second short signal. Charge control suitable for the characteristics can be performed.

  In the above embodiment, since the existing terminals A1, A2, B1, and B2 are used for input and output of the first short signal and the second short signal, the cost and the complexity of the circuit configuration can be reduced. It becomes possible.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the charging device 1A changes the charging time depending on whether the second short signal is input, so the battery pack 2 is charged with the charging time according to the capacity, It is suppressed that the battery pack 2 is insufficiently charged.

  In the above embodiment, when the battery pack 2A is attached to the existing charging device 1B, the battery pack 2A resets the count after a predetermined time c shorter than the predetermined time b from the start of charging. It is suppressed that battery pack 2A becomes insufficiently charged.

  The charging system according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various improvements and modifications can be made within the scope described in the claims.

  For example, the capacities of the battery packs 2A and 2B in the above embodiment are merely examples, and are not limited to 10 Ah and 3 Ah, respectively.

  In the above embodiment, charging is started when both the cell number signal and the temperature signal are input to the apparatus-side microcomputer 50. However, either one may be used, and the other signal is used as the charging start signal. It may be used.

  In the above embodiment, in order to input the second short signal to the apparatus-side microcomputer 50, the battery type discriminating element shorting means 2h corresponding to the battery type discriminating element 2c is provided. Instead, it corresponds to the thermistor 2d. Thermistor shorting means may be provided.

  Further, the first short signal and the second short signal in the above embodiment may be generated by a method other than the short circuit.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the charging system that controls the charging time according to the battery pack capacity is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and the battery type (for example, nickel hydrogen) It can also be applied to changing the voltage / current control conditions of the charging device according to the battery and the lithium ion battery.

1A Charging device 2A Battery pack 2f Battery side microcomputer 2g Battery type discriminating element opening means 2h Battery type discriminating element short means 2i Thermistor opening means 8 Battery type discrimination short means 50 Device side microcomputer

Claims (8)

A charging device to which a battery pack having a secondary battery can be attached,
A charging unit for charging the secondary battery;
A device-side signal output unit that outputs a first signal to the battery pack when the attachment of the battery pack is detected;
A device-side control unit that controls the charging operation by the charging unit,
The apparatus-side control unit controls the charging operation by the charging unit according to whether or not a second signal corresponding to the first signal is input from the battery pack. When the battery pack is mounted, the battery pack further includes a device-side terminal for exchanging information with the battery pack,
The charging device according to claim 1, wherein the first signal and the second signal are input / output via the device-side terminal.   3. The charging device according to claim 1, wherein the device-side control unit changes a charging time of the secondary battery by the charging unit according to whether the second signal is input. 4. .   4. The battery pack attachable to the charging device according to claim 1, wherein the second signal is output to the charging device when the first signal is input from the charging device. 5. A battery pack, further comprising a battery side signal output unit. A battery-side terminal for exchanging the information with the charging device when mounted on the charging device;
The battery pack according to claim 4, wherein the first signal and the second signal are input and output through the battery side terminal. A battery pack that can be attached to a charging device that terminates power feeding after the first charging time has elapsed by counting the charging time,
A secondary battery that requires a second charging time longer than the first charging time until full charge;
A battery-side signal output unit that performs a process of resetting the count of the charging time of the charging device after a third charging time that is shorter than the first charging time from the start of charging;
A battery pack comprising:   In the process of resetting the count, the battery-side signal output unit cuts off the output applied to the charging device when the battery is connected to the charging device, or outputs a reset signal. The battery pack according to claim 6. A charging device;
A battery pack attachable to the charging device;
A charging system comprising:
The charging device is:
A charging unit for charging the secondary battery;
A device-side signal output unit that outputs a first signal to the battery pack when the attachment of the battery pack is detected;
With
The battery pack is
A secondary battery,
A battery-side signal output unit that outputs a second signal to the charging device when the first signal is input from the charging device;
With
The charging device is:
A device-side control unit that controls the charging operation by the charging unit according to whether a second signal is input from the battery pack with respect to the first signal;
A charging system further comprising:

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