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US 8,890,481 B2Granted
Charging control device including a computer that monitors and/or charges a rechargeable battery and a watch dog timer for monitoring the computer
AssigneeMakita Corporation
InventorsTatsuki Mori, Toru Yamada, Shinichi Hira, Hitoshi Suzuki
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A charging control device includes a control unit and a monitoring unit. The control unit performs at least one of controlling charging to a rechargeable battery and monitoring a state of a rechargeable battery, while outputting a state signal which indicates an operation state of the control unit. The monitoring unit determines whether or not the operation state of the control unit is a predesignated specified operation state based on the state signal outputted from the control unit.
Claims15
A charging control device comprising:
- a computer that performs at least one of controlling charging to a rechargeable battery and monitoring a state of a rechargeable battery, while outputting pulse signals having a preset period which indicate an operation state of the computer;
- and
- a watch dog timer that determines whether or not the operation state of the computer is a predesignated specified operation state based on the pulse signals outputted from the computer,
- wherein the watch dog timer outputs a first reset signal and a second reset signal, when the watch dog timer has determined that the operation state of the computer is the specified operation state,
- the first reset signal is a signal to initialize the computer,
- the second reset signal is a signal to stop charging to the rechargeable battery,
- the computer outputs a charging permission/stop signal which selectively indicates one of permission and stop of charging to the rechargeable battery, and
- the charging control device further comprising a stop unit that includes a switching element to which both of the second reset signal and the charging permission/stop signal are inputted via a same input terminal of the switching element, the stop unit configured to stop the charging to the rechargeable battery regardless of indication of the charging permission/stop signal when the second reset signal is inputted to the same input terminal of the switching element from the watch dog timer.
5 more elements
A charging apparatus comprising:
- a power converting unit that converts an externally supplied external power to a charging power for charging a rechargeable battery and outputs the converted charging power;
- a conversion control unit that outputs a control signal to the power converting unit to control conversion from the external power to the charging power performed by the power converting unit;
- a main control unit that outputs a charging control signal which selectively indicates one of activation and stop of the conversion control unit, a charging permission/stop signal which selectively indicates one of permission and stop of output of the charging power from the power converting unit, and a state signal which indicates an operation state of the main control unit;
- a monitoring unit that determines whether or not the operation state of the main control unit is a predesignated specified operation state based on the state signal outputted from the main control unit;
- and
- a stop unit that stops an operation of the power converting unit by deactivating the control signal outputted from the conversion control unit regardless of an operation state of the conversion control unit when the charging permission/stop signal indicates the stop of the output of the charging power, while stopping the operation of the power converting unit by deactivating the control signal outputted from the conversion control unit regardless of the operation state of the conversion control unit and indication of the charging permission/stop signal when it is determined by the monitoring unit that the operation state of the main control unit is the specified operation state.
3 more elements
A charging system comprising:
- a battery pack having a rechargeable battery;
- and
- a charging apparatus that charges the rechargeable battery, wherein
- the charging apparatus comprises:
- a power converting unit that converts an externally supplied external power to a charging power for charging the rechargeable battery and outputs the converted charging power;
- a conversion control unit that outputs a control sianal to the power converting unit to control conversion from the external power to the charging power performed by the power converting unit;
- a charging-side main control unit that outputs a charging control signal which selectively indicates one of activation and stop of the conversion control unit, a charging permission/stop signal which selectively indicates one of permission and stop of output of the charging power from the power converting unit, and a state signal which indicates an operation state of the charging-side main control unit;
- a charging-side monitoring unit that determines whether or not the operation state of the charging-side main control unit is a predesignated specified operation state based on the state signal outputted from the charging-side main control unit;
- and
- a charging-side stop unit that stops an operation of the power converting unit by deactivating the control signal outputted from the conversion control unit regardless of an operation state of the conversion control unit when the charging permission/stop signal indicates the stop of the output of the charging power, while stopping the operation of the power converting unit by deactivating the control signal outputted from the conversion control unit regardless of the operation state of the conversion control unit and indication of the charging permission/stop signal when it is determined by the charging-side monitoring unit that the operation state of the charging-side main control unit is the specified operation state.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.