Electric battery charging apparatus

Means for terminating the charging of an electric storage battery, or a phase of such a charge, including:

• a first input line which is connected to a source of a signal dependent on battery voltage;
• a second input line which is connected to a source of a ramp signal;
• signal combining means having an output line, and being arranged to produce, on the output line, a signal comprising a combination of the signals on the two input lines, which combination signal changes in one sense in response to a rise in battery voltage, and in the opposite sense in response to the rise of the ramp signal;
• combination signal monitoring means arranged to monitor the combination signal on the output line, and including shiftable bias signal storing means connected to the output of the signal combining means and arranged to store the extreme value which the combination signal has so far reached in the said one sense;
• and
• comparing means connected to the storing means to receive the stored extreme value, and to the output of the signal combining means, and arranged to compare the stored extreme value with the actual value of the combination signal, and to terminate the charge, or a phase of it, when the combination signal changes in the said opposite sense by more than a predetermined amount from the stored extreme value.

Means for terminating the charging of an electric storage battery, or a phase of such a charge, including:

• a first input line which is connected to a source of a signal dependent on battery voltage;
• a second input line which is connected to a source of a ramp signal;
• a third input line which is connected to a shiftable bias signal storing means;
• signal combining means having an output line, and being arranged to produce, on the output line, a combination signal comprising a combination of the signals on the three input lines, which combination signal changes in one sense in response to a rise in battery voltage, and in the opposite sense in response to the rise of the ramp signal;
• and
• combination signal monitoring means arranged to monitor the combination signal on the output line, and connected to stored bias signal modifying means arranged, when the combination signal reaches a predetermined value, to modify the stored shiftable bias signal in such a sense as to prevent the combination signal from shifting in the said one sense beyond the said predetermined value, the combination signal monitoring means also being arranged to terminate the charge, or a phase of it, when the combination signal changes in the said opposite sense by more than a predetermined amount from the said predetermined value.