Patent · US Expired

Battery pack discharge recovery circuit

US6262560A · kind A · utility

7Cited by
6References
15Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 17, 2000
Grant dateJul 17, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 17, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH02J7/342
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A charging circuit for a lead-acid battery pack includes a sacrificial battery with a voltage less than that required to charge the lead-acid battery and connected across the input terminals of a power converter, which boosts the sacrificial battery voltage to an output voltage sufficient to charge the battery pack. A processor operating under stored program control is connected across the lead-acid battery and monitors its voltage and produces an output signal when the voltage drops below a predetermined level, for triggering the power converter to apply its boosted voltage to the lead-acid battery for charging. The processor program ignores normal battery voltage conditions which occur during normal operation of an associated device powered by the lead-acid battery and will activate the power converter only when the lead-acid battery voltage has reached a significantly low level or has reached a low level for a sufficiently long period of time, to be consistent with a deep discharge condition of the lead-acid battery.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.