Battery charger with power dissipation control
US5703470A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 29, 1996 |
| Grant date | Dec 30, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 29, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02E60/13
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A battery charger uses an unregulated DC transformer (100) as a power source for charging a battery pack (101) through a pass device (104). A charger controller (150) instantaneously computes a desired charging current value for maximizing the charging efficiency of the battery charger based on the present voltage of the battery pack (101), ambient temperature data received from a thermistor (121), and charging rates and other charging parameters received from a data-storage device (123) in the battery pack. The charger controller sends the calculated desired charging current information to a power controller (103). The power controller (103) monitors the instantaneous power dissipation of the pass device (104) and scales the desired charging current value to prevent excessive power dissipation in the pass device (104). By allowing the charging voltage to vary and dynamically adjusting the charging current, various types of batteries can be recharged without the use of an expensive tracking regulator.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.