JPH05260672A - Charging system for device driving secondary battery - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To extend a battery life by storing a proper number of times of contin ued charge of a secondary battery, and in the case of connecting it to a charge/ discharged device, performing only a charge to a predetermined number of times to perform a discharge thereafter a charge in the case of reaching the predetermined number of times. CONSTITUTION:A proper number of times of continued charge of a secondary battery 11 built in a slave machine is stored in memory units 12, 22 provided in the slave machine 1 or a lost machine 2, to perform only a charge process by a charge/discharge device 21 to a predetermined number of times. In the case of reaching the predetermined number of times, after performing a discharge by the charge/discharge device 21, the battery is controlled so as to perform a new charge. Accordingly, in the secondary battery 11, effective utilization of charging capacity can be attained to reduce inactivation and also to prevent generation of a memory effect. As a result, a time of operation of a secondary battery usage device is always properly maintained.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

The present invention relates to a charging system for a secondary battery for driving a device, which can effectively utilize the capacity of the secondary battery in a device driven by the secondary battery and extend the battery life.

In recent years, various portable small-sized devices having a rechargeable and rechargeable secondary battery as a power source have become widespread, including mobile phones and cordless phones. For example, so-called hand-held terminals (Hand-Terminal Terminals) are used for product management in the outskirts of financial institutions and in the distribution business, and in the settlement of passenger tickets in the passenger business.
A portable terminal device, which is also called a held terminal: abbreviated as HHT, is widely used.

[0004] These mobile terminal devices have an adapter for transmission because it is necessary to transmit the data input and accumulated at any time while moving to the host device, and transmit to the host device via the adapter. It is like this.

Since portability is an absolute requirement for a portable terminal device, a rechargeable secondary battery, for example, a nickel-cadmium secondary battery is generally used as a power source in consideration of operating cost.

In addition, in order to reduce the size of the portable terminal device at the same time as miniaturizing it in consideration of the convenience of carrying it,
Normally, a charging circuit is not provided on the side of a mobile terminal device, which is a child device, and only a secondary battery is incorporated. In this case, charging the secondary battery is complicated and time-consuming if a dedicated charging device is used.Therefore, when connecting to the master unit with a built-in charging circuit to send and receive predetermined signals. Often done in conjunction with.

In the secondary battery as described above, it is desirable that the complete charge and discharge are alternately repeated from the chemical reaction characteristics of the internal elements in order to effectively utilize the battery capacity and extend the battery life. It is known that the battery is inactivated and the effective capacity decreases when the usage is repeated such that charging is repeated in a state where the battery is not completely discharged.

FIG. 8 shows the relationship between the discharge time and the voltage of a nickel-cadmium battery, which is one of the secondary batteries often used as a power source for small portable equipment. Nickel-cadmium batteries maintain a substantially constant voltage for a certain period of time to perform the functions required for the operation of equipment, as shown by the solid curve indicating the normal discharge state, and then the voltage drops sharply. The characteristics are shown.

On the other hand, when the state of use is repeated such that the battery is continuously charged without being sufficiently discharged, the nickel-cadmium battery becomes inactivated.

The inactivated state is a state in which the effective portion of the internal elements that cause a chemical reaction is gradually reduced and the charging ability is significantly reduced. Inactivated nickel
The terminal voltage of the cadmium battery decreases with the discharge time as shown by the curve shown by the broken line in FIG. 8, and further decreases at a certain discharge time. Such a phenomenon is generally called a memory effect.

When the secondary battery falls into the inactivated state, not only the operating time of the small portable device is shortened, but also the secondary battery can be returned to the activated state after the complete discharge. It is necessary to repeat the operation of fully charging many times,
During that time, there was the inconvenience that the normal use of the devices was restricted.

[0012]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to eliminate the above inconvenience,
Conventionally, for example, when a mobile terminal device, which is a child device, is connected to a transmission adapter, which is a parent device, a configuration is adopted in which the transmission adapter always discharges the terminal voltage and then charges the terminal voltage. With such a configuration, charging and discharging are always performed, so that it is possible to prevent a memory effect from occurring.

However, when the master unit is shared by a large number of slave units, it is necessary to sequentially replace the slave units with the master unit for charging / discharging, and it takes several tens of minutes to perform charging / discharging once. It will be very troublesome. Further, since the total number of times the secondary battery can be charged / discharged is determined to some extent, repeating charging / discharging more than necessary shortens the battery life.

When the voltage between the terminals of the secondary battery is detected on the slave unit side or the master unit side and is less than a preset voltage value, when the slave unit is connected to the master unit, after discharging, A configuration is also adopted in which charging is performed, and if the voltage is equal to or higher than the set voltage value, only data transmission is performed without charging.

In such a configuration, even after the child device is removed from the parent device without being charged, the child device may be used for a certain amount of time, for example, for the time expected to be used in the next day of business. In order to perform data collection processing, display processing, printing processing, etc. on the machine, it is necessary to set the division voltage value for whether or not to perform charging / discharging.

Therefore, it is necessary to set the voltage value to a somewhat high value, but in practice, the setting is very difficult. If the setting value is too high, the charging and discharging will be the same every time, and if the setting value is too low, it will be too low. However, there is a drawback that the device cannot be used during work.

Further, as described above, even if the setting is made higher, it may happen that the use is concentrated on one child device and cannot be used during work. In such a case, it is very complicated because it is necessary to replace the child device with another child device in the middle of a day's work or to perform a temporary charging work.

Further, a changeover switch is provided on the slave unit side or the master unit side so that it is possible to select whether to charge only or charge the battery after discharging it once. When connecting, either of them can be selectively performed. In the case of this configuration, the operator must remember the number of times only charging has been performed, which is very troublesome especially when used by a plurality of people, and proper management is difficult.

[0019]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, and is an apparatus capable of effectively utilizing the capacity of a secondary battery and extending the battery life. It is an object of the present invention to provide a charging system for a driving secondary battery.

[0020]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides the above-mentioned secondary battery inactivation and memory effect by first completely discharging and then fully charging (deep charging). It is based on facts that can be resolved by doing. However, it may not be possible to recover once, and it may be solved by repeating complete charge and discharge several times. In particular, if the number of times of shallow charge and discharge is small, it is easy to solve.

The present invention focuses on this point, and FIG.
As shown in the principle explanation diagram of
A secondary battery 11 as a drive power source and a storage unit 12 are built in the slave unit 1, and a charging / discharging device 21, a storage unit 22, and a control unit 23 are provided in the master unit 2. The storage means 12 and 22 may be provided in at least one of the slave 1 and the master 2.

Although only one child device 1 is shown in the figure,
It can be an arbitrary number. When a plurality of slave units are used and the storage unit 22 is provided on the master unit 2 side, I of the slave unit 1
It is configured to identify the corresponding slave unit by the D code. The ID code of the child device 1 can be included in the data with the parent device for notification.

[0023]

According to the present invention, the storage means 12 or 22 provided in either the slave unit 1 or the master unit 2 stores the proper number of times of continuous charging of the secondary battery 11 incorporated in the slave unit 1. The charging / discharging device 21 only performs the charging process up to a predetermined number of times. When the number of times reaches the predetermined number, the charging / discharging device 2
After the discharging by 1, the charging is controlled to be newly charged.

Therefore, the secondary battery can effectively utilize the charge capacity, reduce inactivation, and at the same time prevent the memory effect from occurring. As a result, the operating time of the device using the secondary battery is always maintained properly.

When a certain slave unit has been charged a predetermined number of times and the charging process is performed after the discharging process is performed,
It is possible to clear the stored charge count value for the slave unit to zero. Also, when the number of times reaches a predetermined number,
The cycle of performing the charging process after performing the discharging process may be repeated a plurality of times.

[0026]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 2 and 3 show an example of an apparatus suitable for carrying out the present invention. FIG. 2 shows an external view of a mobile terminal device 3 as a slave, and FIG. 3 shows a transmission adapter 5 as a master.
The external appearance of each is shown.

The portable terminal device 3 is used for traveling around a financial institution, product management in the distribution industry, settlement of tickets for transportation / transportation period, and the like, and is also called a handheld terminal. The present invention can also be applied to small portable devices other than the portable terminal device.

The portable terminal device 3 is provided with an input unit such as a ten-key pad 31 and a bar code reader 32, and stores various data in a built-in memory according to an input operation of a portable person. The data thus accumulated is transmitted to the transmission adapter 5 from a data input / output unit 33 such as an optical interface provided in the mobile terminal device 3.

A display device 34 for confirming the input state and displaying various messages from the device to the wearer, a switch operating protrusion 35, and the like are provided. Further, a terminal connected to the built-in secondary battery is provided in a portion in contact with the transmission adapter 5, for example, near the data input / output unit 33.

The transmitting adapter 5 shown in FIG. 3 is provided with a setting section 51 into which the portable terminal device 3 is inserted. In the present embodiment, two set parts are provided, but it is also possible to provide a single set part or three or more set parts. A data input / output unit 52 that is compatible with the data input / output unit 33 of the mobile terminal device 3 is provided at the bottom of the setting unit 51, and a protrusion 35 of the mobile terminal device 3 is provided at the upper back side of the setting unit 51. The switch 53 is provided.

The switch 53 has a function of confirming that the portable terminal device 3 has been set to a predetermined state, and includes a mechanical switch that operates by mechanical pressing.
It can be a proximity switch, a photoelectric switch, a magnetic switch, or the like. Reference numeral 54 is a power switch of the transmission adapter 4.

When even one portable terminal device 3 is set in the setting section 51 of the transmission adapter 5 in which the power switch 54 is turned on, the transmission adapter 5 is instructed from the outside by
Alternatively, corresponding data is transmitted in accordance with an instruction from a host device (not shown) such as a computer. At this time, the judgment of the state of the secondary battery built in the mobile terminal device 3 is also performed.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main parts of the mobile terminal device 3 and the transmission adapter 5 shown in FIGS. The same parts as those in FIGS. 2 and 4 are designated by the same reference numerals. The ten-key pad 31, the bar code reader 32, the display device 34, the data input / output unit 33, and the protrusion 35 can be confirmed in the appearance of FIG.

Another component is a control unit (CPU).
36, ROM for storing programs and other fixed data
37, a RAM 38 that stores the number of times of charging at the same time as storing necessary data, a Hall element 39, a power supply circuit 40, a secondary battery 41, a memory backup battery 42, a clock device 43, and the like. The terminal 41T of the secondary battery 41 is exposed to the outside.

The data input / output unit 52 of the transmission adapter 5,
The switch 53 and the power switch 54 can be confirmed in FIG.

Other elements include a charge / discharge circuit 55, a power supply circuit 56, an R for storing programs and other fixed data.
The OM 57, the required data and, if necessary, the RAM 58 that stores the number of times of charging of the specific slave unit 3, the data input / output unit 59 that exchanges data with a higher-level device such as a computer, the control unit (CPU) 60, the slave unit 3 The magnet 61 and the memory backup battery 62, which are compatible with the Hall element 39 of FIG.

The charging / discharging circuit terminal 55T is exposed at a portion compatible with the terminal 41T of the secondary battery 41 of the slave unit 3.

The slave unit 3 drives the power supply circuit 40 by the charged secondary battery 41, and operates each component under the control of the control unit 36. Data input is performed by the ten-key pad 31 and / or the bar code reader 32, and the contents are stored in the RAM 38. Also this RA
In M38, the number of times of charging the secondary battery 41 incorporated in the child device 3 can be stored.

These input states and required operational messages are displayed on the display device 34. This display contains
It is also possible to display the voltage of the secondary battery 41 selectively, display the charging state in, for example, the battery check mode, and issue an alarm when the state in which the charging process is necessary is reached.

The ROM 37 stores programs and fixed data necessary for operation. The memory backup battery 42 such as a lithium battery is provided to retain the memory contents even when the secondary battery 41 is discharged.

When the portable terminal device 3 thus configured is set in the setting portion 51 of the transmission adapter 5, the protrusion 3
5 activates the switch 53 to notify the control unit 60 that the mobile terminal device 3 has been set. The control unit 60 of the transmission adapter 5 is different from the control unit 36 of the mobile terminal device 3 in that
The data input / output units 33 and 5 are instructed to transfer the required data.
Data is exchanged via the terminal 2.

As described above, when the mobile terminal device 3 is set in the transmission adapter 5, the secondary battery terminal 41T of the mobile terminal device 3 and the charging / discharging circuit terminal 55T are in contact with each other. Here, when the number of times of charging the secondary battery of the currently set portable terminal device 3 is less than or equal to the preset number of times, the charging / discharging circuit 55 immediately executes the charging process.

On the other hand, when the number of times of charging the secondary battery of the mobile terminal device 3 has reached the preset number of times, the charging / discharging circuit 55 executes the discharging process of the secondary battery 41. , After being surely discharged, the charging process is executed again. The operating procedure for continuously executing only the charging process or the discharging process and the charging process can be stored in the ROM 57.

Such control is performed by the RA of the mobile terminal device 3.
The control unit 60 recognizes what is stored in either the M38 or the RAM 58 of the transmission adapter 5, and the corresponding control is performed. It should be noted that in the configuration of storing the data in the RAM 58 of the transmission adapter 5, I that identifies the mobile terminal device 3
The D code and the number of times will be stored together.

The hall element 39 provided in the portable terminal device 3 is for confirming the setting state of the transmitting adapter 5 on the portable terminal device 3 side. On the other hand, the switch 53 provided in the transmission adapter 5 is used to recognize the state in which the mobile terminal device 3 is set in the transmission adapter 5.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a main circuit portion related to the present invention between the mobile terminal device 3 and the transmission adapter 5.

The charging / discharging circuit 55 is connected through a charging / discharging switching circuit 64 operated by the controller 60,
It is composed of a discharging circuit 62 and a charging circuit 63. The control unit 60 controls the charging / discharging switching circuit 64 by referring to the output of the memory that stores the number of times of appropriate continuous charging, and determines whether to perform only the charging process or a series of operations of the discharging and charging processes. Then run.

The power supply unit is also provided with a circuit for detecting the voltage between the terminals of the secondary battery, and when the voltage becomes lower than a predetermined voltage, it can be configured to notify the control unit 60 of that fact. Upon receiving the notification, the control unit 60 causes the display unit to display a message prompting charging. But even if you don't see this
When the mobile terminal device is set in the transmission adapter, the charging process or the charging / discharging process is automatically executed.

The record of the number of times only the charging process is performed is included in the data transmitted from the transmission adapter 5 to the host device and transmitted so that the states of a plurality of mobile terminal devices can be managed and controlled by the host device. It can also be configured. In this case, the higher-level device may perform inquiry and update of data each time the mobile terminal device is connected.

Further, when the system is started up or the transmission adapter is started to operate, the data regarding the entire mobile terminal device managed by the host device is downloaded, and the result is also recorded when the data collected by the mobile terminal device is transmitted to the host device. It can also be configured to be transmitted and updated.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the operation when a memory for storing the number of times of charging the secondary battery is provided on the slave device 3 side. In this process, it is first checked whether or not the child device is set as the parent device (step S1).

Then, if it is determined that it is not set, the process waits until it is set. When it is determined that the child device is set in this waiting state, it is checked whether or not the number of times of charging the child device itself has reached a predetermined number (step S2).

If it is determined that the predetermined number of times has not been reached, only the charging process is executed (step S3),
The process ends.

If it is determined in step S2 that the charging has been performed the predetermined number of times, the discharging process is executed (step S4), and then the charging process is executed (step S5). Next, it is checked whether or not the state of charge is sufficient (step S6), and if it is not sufficient, the process branches to step S4 and the same process is repeated.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the amount is sufficient,
The process ends. Whether or not such charging is sufficient can be determined by performing a voltage after charging, a required charging time, a short-time large current discharge test, or the like.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the operation when the memory for storing the number of times of charging the secondary battery is provided on the base unit 5 side. In this process, first, it is checked whether or not the child device is set as the parent device (step S11). Then, if it is determined that they have not been set, it waits until they are set.

In this waiting state, when the slave unit is set, the slave unit 3 side notifies the master unit 5 of the ID code (step S12). The parent device 5 identifies the child device from the notified ID code, and refers to the stored value of the number of times of charging of the corresponding child device (step S13).

Then, it is checked whether or not the number of times of charging the slave unit 3 has reached a predetermined number (step S14). Here, when it is determined that the number has not reached the predetermined number,
Only the charging process is executed and the process ends (step S1).
5).

On the other hand, when it is determined that the number of times of charging has reached the predetermined number, the discharging process is executed (step S16), and then the charging process is executed (step S1).
7). Next, it is checked whether or not the state of charge is sufficient (step S18), and if it is not sufficient, the process branches to step S16 and the same process is repeated. On the other hand, if it is determined to be sufficient, the process ends.

[0060]

According to the present invention, the number of times of charging the secondary battery incorporated in the slave unit can be surely grasped, and the secondary battery can be charged only after performing the charging process or after performing the discharging process. Whether to execute the process is automatically selected and executed.

Therefore, the operator can maintain the optimum charge state for the secondary battery without giving special consideration. As a result, inactivation of the secondary battery is prevented, and so-called memory effect does not occur, so that the battery capacity can be effectively used and the battery life is extended.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the principle of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a configuration example of a mobile terminal device capable of executing a secondary battery charging method according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a configuration example of a transmission adapter capable of executing a charging method for a secondary battery according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a mobile terminal device and a transmission adapter capable of executing a secondary battery charging method according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a relation between a secondary battery of a mobile terminal device and a transmission adapter capable of executing a secondary battery charging method according to the present invention, and a main part of a charge / discharge circuit.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a first embodiment for executing a charging method for a secondary battery according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a second embodiment for executing the secondary battery charging method according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an example of a discharge characteristic curve of a nickel-cadmium battery.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Slave device 11 Secondary battery 12 Storage means 2 Master device 21 Charging / discharging device 22 Storage means 23 Control part

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A secondary battery (11) for driving a slave device is used as a master device (2).
In the charging method in which the battery is connected to the charging / discharging device (21) for charging, an appropriate number of continuous charging times in the secondary battery (11) is stored, and a predetermined number is stored when the charging / discharging device (21) is connected. A charging method for a secondary battery for driving a device, characterized in that only the charging process is executed up to the number of times, and when the predetermined number of times is reached, the discharging process is executed and then the charging process is executed. 2. A storage unit (12) for storing the number of times of charging is a slave unit (1).
When the charging / discharging device (21) of the master unit (2) is connected to the master unit (2), the master unit (2) is notified of the stored content of the number of times of charging, and only the charging process is performed according to the notification result. 2. The charging method for a secondary battery for driving a device according to claim 1, wherein it is determined whether to perform the charging process or the discharging process and the charging process. 3. The storage unit (22) for storing the number of times of charging is a base unit (2).
The proper number of times of continuous charging for each cordless handset (1) built in the side is stored in association with the ID code representing the cordless handset (1), and the charging / discharging device (21) is stored up to a predetermined number of times. 3. The charging method for a secondary battery for driving a device according to claim 2, wherein only the charging process is performed by the method, and the charging process is performed after the discharging process when the predetermined number of times is reached. 4. When the slave unit (1) is connected to the master unit (2),
Notify the master unit (2) of the ID code of the slave unit (1), and
(2) Refers to the number of times the slave unit (1) is stored in its own device based on the notified ID code, and determines whether to perform only the charging process or the discharging process and then the charging process. The charging system for a secondary battery for driving a device according to claim 3, wherein: 5. The child device ID code between the child device (1) and the parent device (2) is notified prior to other data transmission, according to claim 3 or 4. A method for charging a secondary battery for driving the device as described. 6. When the secondary battery (11) has reached an appropriate number of times of continuous charging, discharging processing and subsequent charging processing are executed, and at the same time, the storage means (12, 22) is cleared to zero. A charging system for a secondary battery for driving a device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which is characterized in that. 7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, when the proper number of times of continuous charging in the secondary battery (11) is reached, the cycle of the discharging process and the subsequent charging process is repeated an appropriate number of times. A method of charging a secondary battery for driving a device according to claim 2.