Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Shinya Manabe

Junji Nishida

Kohji Yoshii

Junichi Ikeda

A charging apparatus for charging a plurality of detachable battery packs includes a charging device for charging the plurality of battery packs one after another. A monitoring device is included to monitor attachment of a battery pack. A memory is included to store attachment history data of a battery pack based upon a monitoring result. A switching device is included to switch from one of the battery packs to the next battery pack. A voltage detecting device is included to detect a voltage of the next battery pack before charging. A charging manner setting device is included to set any one of constant current charging and constant voltage charging in accordance with the detected voltage. A charge current detecting device is also included to detect a current during charging of the next battery pack.

Battery pack charging apparatus and method for constant current and constant voltage charging of multiple battery packs

A device or a method for supplying a current to a load. A peripheral temperature of the load is detected. Based on the detected peripheral temperature and a predetermined time period, the unit amount of the current being supplied is switched between a first current and a second current.

Device and method for controlling a current supply

A charging circuit for a secondary battery includes a constant-voltage circuit part outputting one of a plurality of predetermined constant voltages and charges the secondary battery by applying the constant voltage thereto, a detection circuit part detecting a battery voltage of the secondary battery, and a control circuit part controlling the selection of the constant-voltage in response to the detected battery voltage. Another charging circuit includes a constant-current circuit part outputting, to the secondary battery, one of two predetermined constant currents, a constant-voltage circuit part charging the secondary battery by applying a predetermined constant voltage thereto, a battery voltage detection circuit part detecting a battery voltage of the secondary battery, a charge current detection circuit part outputting a predetermined charge completion signal, and a charge control circuit part stopping operations of the constant-current circuit part and constant-voltage circuit part when receiving the charge completion signal.

Charging circuit for secondary battery

A first constant voltage circuit includes an operational amplifier having a reference voltage applied to a first input terminal thereof and a voltage obtained as a result of an output voltage being divided applied to a second input terminal thereof, and controls an output transistor with an output of its operational amplifier. A second constant voltage circuit includes an operational amplifier having a reference voltage applied to a first input terminal thereof and a voltage obtained as a result of the output voltage being divided applied to a second input terminal thereof, and controls the output transistor with an output of its operational amplifier, a current consumption of the second constant voltage circuit being smaller than a current consumption of the first constant voltage circuit. A switching part is provided for each of those operational amplifiers and makes connection and disconnection between an output terminal of the operational amplifier and the output transistor. A switching logic circuit controls the switching units so that the first constant voltage circuit is connected to the output transistor when the load is in the operation condition but the second constant voltage circuit is connected to the output transistor when the load is in the standby condition.

Constant voltage power supply with normal and standby modes

Battery pack charging apparatus and method

A first constant voltage circuit includes an operational amplifier having a reference voltage applied to a first input terminal thereof and a voltage obtained as a result of an output voltage being divided applied to a second input terminal thereof, and controls an output transistor with an output of its operatioanal amplifier. A second constant voltage circuit includes an operational amplifier having a reference voltage applied to a first input terminal thereof and a voltage obtained as a result of the output voltage being divided applied to a second input terminal thereof, and controls the output transistor with an output of its operatioanal amplifier, a current consumption of the second constant voltage circuit being smaller than a current consumption of the first constant voltage circuit. A switching part is provided for each of those operational amplifiers and makes connection and disconnection between an output terminal of the operational amplifiers and the output transistor. A switching logic circuit controls the switching units so that the first constant voltage circuit is connected to the output transistor when the load is in the operation condition but the second constant voltage circuit is connected to the output transistor when the load is in the standby condition.

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Hyogo, Japan

Shinya Manabe