Energy conserving charger controller, circuitry and method

A microprocessor for controlling flow of current to an AC load, said micro-processor being interposed between said load and an AC mains power supply line, comprising:

• a) a circuit including:
• i) a low power input;
• ii) at least one measured current draw signal input;
• iii) a trigger signal output;
• iv) a clock;
• v) a memory structure;
• and
• vi) a control algorithm having a programmable code structure which causes said microprocessor to selectively output trigger signals to a current control circuit element in accord with the functional events of:
• periodically awakening said microprocessor from a sleep state in which said mains power to said AC load has been interrupted, triggering said current control circuit element to enable said mains power to flow to said AC load, checking the value of the measured mains power current draw signal input, and if the measured current corresponds to a value representative of when a load is present and drawing mains power, permits said mains power to flow uninterrupted, and if the measured current draw signal input corresponds to a value representative of when a load is not present or drawing current representative of trickle-charge maintenance mode of said AC load, interrupts said mains power and returns to a sleep mode.

A method of conserving electrical energy by reducing the loss of electrical energy by an AC adapter charger connected to a mains line power supply for recharging a CED battery when said CED battery is either not connected to said charger or at or near the full charge capacity of said battery, whether said AC adapter charger is stand alone or integrated with said CED, comprising the steps of:

• a) automatically monitoring the draw of current of said AC adapter charger by periodic awakening of a battery-powered microprocessor having control algorithm code structure that cyclically evaluates measured current draw until a step change in current draw is detected, either from a low charge rate state to high charge rate or high charge rate state to low charge rate state;
• b) permitting current to flow from said mains line power supply to said AC adapter charger when said monitored current draw step change is representative of charging load current draw on said AC adapter charger;
• c) automatically interrupting current flow from said mains line to said AC adapter charger so that there is zero mains current flow, when said current draw step change is monitored to be representative of substantial absence of charging load on said AC adapter as when said CED battery is not connected or is in a trickle charge maintenance mode;
• d) permitting said microprocessor to revert to a sleep mode after a preselected number of cyclic evaluations of step change from high charge rate state to low charge rate state;
• and
• e) reducing parasitic hysteresis and heat electrical energy loss, in an amount being substantially the difference between said zero current flow and flow to said AC adapter charger when it is connected to mains yet there is no CED battery being charged or said CED battery is in a trickle charge maintenance mode.