The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 23, 2001
Filed:
Dec. 08, 2000
Nobuo Shiojima, Tokyo, JP;
Toshiba Battery Co., Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
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.