US 6,307,353 B1Granted

Secondary battery apparatus

AssigneeToshiba Battery Co., Ltd.

InventorNobuo Shiojima

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Abstract

A secondary battery apparatus includes a secondary battery, a battery voltage detector, a temperature rising rate detector and a charge controller. The charge controller starts pulse charging of the secondary battery which is performed by turning on/off a switch element located in a charge path of the secondary battery at predetermined periods when a terminal voltage of the secondary battery exceeds a first set voltage during charging of the secondary battery, stops the pulse charging while maintaining the switch element in a conductive state after the time the terminal voltage, observed at a particular time within a switch element blocking period during the pulse charging, exceeds a second set voltage, and blocks the switch element to stop charging the secondary battery when the temperature rising rate detector detects the secondary battery having reached a fully charged state during the charging subsequent to the pulse charging. As a result, the secondary battery is reliably and efficiently charged to the fully charged state in a short time without being affected by fluctuations in a charge current or an ambient temperature.

Claims5

Dependent claims

A secondary battery apparatus comprising:

a secondary battery;
a switch element provided in series in a charge circuit of said secondary battery;
a voltage detector for detecting a terminal voltage of said secondary battery;
a full charge detector for detecting said secondary battery having reached a fully charged state;
and
a charge controller for controlling charging of said secondary battery by conducting or blocking said switch element, said charge controller including:
a pulse charging starting unit for starting a conducting/blocking operation of said switch element at predetermined intervals to start pulse charging said secondary battery when the terminal voltage exceeds a first set voltage during the charging of said secondary battery;
a pulse charging stopping unit for stopping said pulse charging while maintaining said switch element in a conductive state when the terminal voltage has reached a second set voltage during a switch element blocking period of said pulse charging;
and
a charge stopping unit for blocking said switch element to stop charging subsequent to said pulse charging when said full charge detector detects the fully charged state of said secondary battery during the charging subsequent to said pulse charging.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/731,725Filed 8 Dec 2000
Priority: JP 11-35169810 Dec 1999
Granted: 23 Oct 2001
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

H01M 10/44
Methods or arrangements for servicing or maintenance of secondary cells or secondary half-cells: methods for charging or discharging
H02J 7/92
Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage: with prioritisation of loads or sources
H02J 7/927
Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage: with introduction of pulses during the charging process
H02J 7/977
In response to temperature: of the battery