Charging device and charging method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11522381-B2
Application number	US-201816622595-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 15, 2018
Priority date	Jun 15, 2017
Publication date	Dec 6, 2022
Grant date	Dec 6, 2022

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention relates to a charging device (and a charging method), the charging device for charging a battery pack, the battery pack being detachably mounted on a power tool to provide power to the power tool, wherein the charging device comprises: a parameter detecting unit configured to detect a parameter related to a charging current for the battery pack, the parameter comprising a temperature of the battery pack; and a control unit configured to adjust the charging current for the battery pack according to output of the parameter detecting unit to prevent the temperature of the battery pack from reaching a first preset temperature, wherein when the temperature of the battery pack reaches the first preset temperature, the battery pack enters an over-temperature protection state, thereby preventing a life of the battery pack from being affected, By adjusting the charging current, the present invention can not only ensure that the battery pack does not enter over-temperature protection, but also ensure that the charging current of the battery pack is not too small, so that the battery pack has the highest charging efficiency.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A charging device for charging a battery pack, the battery pack being detachably mounted on a power tool to provide power to the power tool, the charging device comprising:
a parameter detecting unit configured to detect a parameter related to a charging current for the battery pack, the parameter comprising a temperature of the battery pack;
a control unit configured to adjust the charging current for the battery pack according to at least part of an output of the parameter detecting unit,
wherein when the temperature of the battery pack reaches a first preset temperature, the charging device enters an over-temperature protection state;
a first charging interface; and
a second charging interface,
wherein the battery pack comprises a first battery pack and a second battery pack, the first battery pack and the second battery pack being electrically connected to the first charging interface and the second charging interface respectively;
wherein a charging process in which the charging device charges the first battery pack and the second battery pack comprises:
a first charging phase, and
a second charging phase;
wherein a value of a charging current output by the charging device in the first charging phase is greater than a value of a charging current output in the second charging phase, and
wherein the charging device controls the charging current to alternately charge the first battery pack and the second battery pack in the first charging phase, and controls the charging current to simultaneously charge the first battery pack and the second battery pack in the second charging phase.

2. The charging device according to claim 1 , wherein the parameter detecting unit is further configured to detect a voltage of the battery pack, and
wherein the control unit is configured to adjust the charging current for the battery pack according to at least one of the temperature and the voltage of the battery pack output by the parameter detecting unit to prevent the temperature of the battery pack from reaching the first preset temperature.

3. The charging device according to claim 2 , wherein the parameter detecting unit is further configured to detect an ambient temperature, and
wherein the control unit is configured to adjust the charging current for the battery pack according to at least one of the temperature of the battery pack, the voltage of the battery pack, and the ambient temperature output by the parameter detecting unit, to prevent the temperature of the battery pack from reaching the first preset temperature.

4. The charging device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit adjusts a value of the charging current for the battery pack by adjusting a duty cycle.

5. The charging device according to claim 1 , wherein the charging currents of the first battery pack and the second battery pack are adjusted by at least one of the following manner:
adjusting values of the charging currents for the first battery pack and the second battery pack, and
adjusting charging durations of each charging in a process of alternately charging the first battery pack and the second battery pack.

6. The charging device according to claim 5 , further comprising:
a comparison module configured to determine whether a difference between the parameter of the first battery pack and the parameter of the second battery pack is greater than a preset value,
wherein when the difference is greater than the preset value, the control unit controls a value of a charging current for a battery pack with a larger parameter to be reduced and/or a charging duration of each charging of a battery pack with a larger parameter during the alternate charging to be reduced.

7. The charging device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit comprises:
a single controller, connected to the first battery pack and the second battery pack respectively, and configured to control the first battery pack and the second battery pack to be alternately charged.

8. The charging device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a storage module configured to store a correspondence table between the parameter and the charging current,
wherein the control unit controls the charging current for the battery pack according to the correspondence table.

9. A charging method for charging a battery pack, the battery pack being detachably mounted on a power tool to provide power to the power tool, the charging method comprising:
detecting a parameter related to a charging current for the battery pack, the parameter comprising a temperature of the battery pack; and
adjusting the charging current for the battery pack according to at least part of a detected parameter,
wherein when the temperature of the battery pack reaches a first preset temperature, a charging device enters an over-temperature protection state;
wherein the charging device comprises:
a first charging interface, and
a second charging interface, and
wherein the battery pack comprises a first battery pack and a second battery pack, the first battery pack and the second battery pack being electrically connected to the first charging interface and the second charging interface respectively, and

wherein the charging method further comprises:
a charging process in which the charging device charges the first battery pack and the second battery pack comprises:
a first charging phase, and
a second charging phase,
wherein a value of a charging current output by the charging device in the first charging phase is greater than a value of a charging current output in the second charging phase, the charging device controls the charging current to alternately charge the first battery pack and the second battery pack in the first charging phase, and controls the charging current to simultaneously charge the first battery pack and the second battery pack in the second charging phase.

10. The charging method according to claim 9 , wherein the parameter further comprises:
a voltage of the battery pack, and
wherein the step of adjusting the charging current for the battery pack according to at least part of a detected parameter comprises:
adjusting the charging current for the battery pack according to at least one of the temperature and the voltage of the battery pack.

11. The charging method according to claim 10 , wherein the parameter further comprises:
an ambient temperature, and
wherein the step of adjusting the charging current for the battery pack according to at least part of a detected parameter comprises:
adjusting the charging current for the battery pack according to at least one of the temperature of the battery pack, the voltage of the battery pack, and the ambient temperature.

12. The charging method according to claim 9 , wherein the charging currents for the first battery pack and the second battery pack are adjusted at least one of the following manner:
adjusting values of the charging currents for the first battery pack and the second battery pack, and
adjusting charging durations of each charging in a process of alternately charging the first battery pack and the second battery pack.

13. The charging method according to claim 12 , further comprising:
determining whether a difference between the parameter of the first battery pack and the parameter of the second battery pack is greater than a preset value; and
wherein when the difference is greater than the preset value, controlling, by the control unit, a value of a charging current for a battery pack with a larger parameter to be reduced and/or a charging duration of each charging of a battery pack with a larger par

Assignees

• Positec Power Tools Suzhou Co Ltd

Inventors

• Deng Qiang
• Chen Mingming
• Shao Xiao

Classifications

• H02J7/65 Primary

  against overtemperature · CPC title

• H02J7/50

  acting upon multiple batteries simultaneously or sequentially · CPC title

• H02J7/977 Primary

  of the battery · CPC title

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• H01M2220/30

  Batteries in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop · CPC title