# US 2014/0197803 A1 · Charging apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0197803 A1 - Document ID: US20140197803A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/154,548 - Filed: 2014-01-14 - Published: 2014-07-17 - Earliest claimed: 2013-01-16 - Assignees: Makita Corporation - Applicants: Makita Corporation - Inventors: Yoshihiro ISHIKAWA - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140197803A1 ## CPC - B60L 53/14: Conductive energy transfer - B60L 50/64: Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles - B60L 58/26: by cooling - H01M 10/46: Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus (circuits for charging H02J7/00) - H01M 10/486: {for measuring temperature} - H01M 10/613: Cooling or keeping cold - H01M 10/6235: Power tools - H01M 10/6563: with forced flow, e.g. by blowers - B60L 2240/36: Temperature of vehicle components or parts - B60L 2240/545: Temperature - B60L 2240/80: Time limits - B60L 2260/44: by parameter estimation - H01M 2220/30: Batteries in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop - Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - Y02T 10/7072: Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors - Y02T 10/92: Energy efficient charging or discharging systems for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors specially adapted for vehicles - Y02T 90/14: Plug-in electric vehicles - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A charging apparatus includes: a charging unit charging a rechargeable battery; a fan to send air to the rechargeable battery; a control unit adapted to activate the fan when a predetermined cooling-execution condition is satisfied after initiation of charging the rechargeable battery by the charging unit and to deactivate the fan when a predetermined maximum cooling period of time is elapsed from completion of charging the rechargeable battery by the charging unit even when the predetermined cooling-execution condition has been satisfied after completion of charging the rechargeable battery by the charging unit; an information obtaining unit configured to obtain cooling-performance information that represents coolability of the rechargeable battery; and a setting unit configured to set the maximum cooling period of time based upon the cooling-performance information obtained by the information obtaining unit. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A charging apparatus comprising: a charging unit configured to supply an electric power to a rechargeable battery to charge the rechargeable battery; a fan configured to send air to the rechargeable battery; a control unit adapted to activate the fan when a predetermined cooling-execution condition is satisfied after initiation of charging the rechargeable battery by the charging unit and to deactivate the fan when a predetermined maximum cooling period of time is elapsed from completion of charging the rechargeable battery by the charging unit even when the predetermined cooling-execution condition has been satisfied after completion of charging the rechargeable battery by the charging unit; a information obtaining unit configured to obtain cooling-performance information that represents coolability of the rechargeable battery; and a setting unit configured to set the maximum cooling period of time based upon the cooling-performance information obtained by the information obtaining unit. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The charging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a battery temperature obtaining unit configured to obtain a battery temperature, the battery temperature being a temperature of the rechargeable battery; and an environmental temperature obtaining unit configured to obtain an environmental temperature, the environmental temperature being an ambient temperature of the rechargeable battery, wherein the setting unit sets the maximum cooling period of time based upon the battery temperature obtained by the battery temperature obtaining unit and the environmental temperature obtained by the environmental temperature obtaining unit after completion of charging the rechargeable battery. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The charging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, the setting unit sets the maximum cooling period of time based upon a predetermined specified temperature so that the fan is deactivated when the battery temperature is equal to or smaller than the predetermined specified temperature. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The charging apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, the setting unit sets the maximum cooling period of time based upon a predetermined specified change rate so that the fan is deactivated when a change rate of the battery temperature is equal to or greater than the predetermined specified change rate being zero or less. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The charging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rechargeable battery comprises a storage unit configured to store the cooling-performance information of the rechargeable battery, and the information obtaining unit obtains the cooling-performance information from the storage unit. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The charging apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising: a determining unit configured to determine whether or not the rechargeable battery comprises a cooling mechanism to cool the rechargeable battery by receiving the air sent from the fan, and wherein the control unit deactivates the fan at least after completion of charging the rechargeable battery when the determining unit determines that the rechargeable battery does not include the cooling mechanism. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The charging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a calculating unit configured to calculate a change rate of the battery temperature, wherein, even if the maximum cooling period of time has not elapsed after completion of charging the rechargeable battery, the control unit deactivates the fan when the change rate of the battery temperature calculated by the calculating unit is negative and is equal to or greater than a predetermined change rate negative threshold value smaller than zero. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The charging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a calculating unit configured to calculate a change rate of the battery temperature, wherein, even if the maximum cooling period of time has not elapsed after completion of charging the rechargeable battery, the control unit deactivates the fan when the change rate of the battery temperature calculated by the calculating unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined change rate positive threshold value equal to or greater than zero.