Charging device for rechargeable battery.

p0001The invention relates to a charging device according to the preamble of claim 1.

p0002Chargers for rechargeable batteries or accumulators are known in many forms; they serve for repeated charging correspondingly suitable battery and cover a wide Gerätespaktrum, for example, so different batteries as heavy car batteries to smallest coin cell to recharge down.

p0003Especially lately chargers for rechargeable batteries are used in a large scale, as more and more battery-powered devices are used, not only in the domestic sphere (rechargeable toothbrushes, flashlights, etc..), But also in artisanal and industrial scale especially for power tools, the have to be supplied by a battery pack or other equipment without mains connection, which makes it independent of the mains.

p0004Such battery packs, as well as the already often in use nickel-cadmium batteries, which are available in current battery sizes, and which can withstand 1,000 or more charge cycles may have to favor not only for environmental reasons over batteries, but also because they now, as for the motor drive, can only supply high currents for prolonged periods.

p0005So far, it is such that virtually any its power from batteries has in the household, used in crafts or industry, relating device its own, inasmuch then also specially designed charger, which are often designed so that one hour-long waiting periods must take to make the respectively assigned device ready for use again.

p0006Such chargers have typically etc. over the whole, for the proper loading of the or the respective associated batteries required equipment, ie transformers, rectifier circuits, control systems, temperature sensor to avoid overheating of the battery during charging. and are not suitable for the battery pack or rechargeable batteries of different shape, a different capacity, and then to be also commonly used other terminals. This leads not only to Umständlichkeiten during use of the various devices driven by batteries, but also to unnecessary investment and extensive storage.

p0007While chargers are generally known which simultaneously have multiple, for example by spring tension and adjustable positioning options for rechargeable batteries, in particular on the size of conventional mono cells or C cells. Here, however, is not matched chargers that can produce a specific low charge current only and take on the state of the battery no consideration, for example, the temperature of which can not capture.

p0008The invention has for its object to provide a uniform, but universally applicable battery charging system in modular design, with which, if let rechargeable batteries of any shape, voltage and capacity desired in the shortest time reloading.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

p0009The invention solves this object with the characterizing features of the main claim and has the advantage that it is now possible to load a plurality of identical or different battery using a standard device, so that a user who, for example, a furnished accumulators implement in conjunction acquires a battery charging system according to the present invention, then specifically this battery system can expand in any manner, by each the same or different batteries, particularly relevant other manufacturers adapted further additives or expansion modules that are connected to the basic module of the battery charging system.

p0010The basic module includes this as a basic unit, all necessary for the actual electrical charging devices and circuits only once, ie transformer, rectifier, control circuit including responsive to temperature signals range, so that a significant price advantage for the user clear from this point of view, since one with a single basic module can supply the full range of diverse batteries and rechargeable batteries.

p0011It is understood that the basic module will contain a correspondingly powerful electronics as a basic unit, which is required for controlling, regulating and monitoring the respective charging. The respective additional adapter part which is to be connected to the basic module, then little more than a corresponding, male mold of rechargeable batteries fitted molding and contains only contacts, on the one hand to pass the originating from the basic module charging current to the corresponding battery and on the other hand, if desired and necessary to make such statements about its respective temperature.

p0012The additional adapter part, which is usually docked to the mainframe side, so there is in any embodiments, namely with respect to the recording device for each deliverable and then battery to be charged while the outer shape of each additional adapter parts may be identical to each other, so that a overall pleasing appearance of the entire battery system results.

p0013In this case, in an advantageous embodiment already the basic unit having a receptacle for a battery to be charged or a rechargeable battery pack; , Is advantageous, however, to let the base unit so far neutral, since it is already packed with transformer, rectifier and electronics, and to be set for each of the different battery to be charged types laterally to the basic unit with this look-alike option adapter parts, thereby simultaneously to a plug contact connection of each additional adapter part basic unit is produced.

p0014It is also possible, in succession to chain several additional adapter parts to the basic unit, depending on the configuration of the electrical control circuit, so that two or more batteries are arranged in the charging slots, which are then usefully loaded sequentially. So you can in the battery charging system with one or more, connected to the basic unit Additional adapter parts or expansion modules are running at least two batteries at the same time, for example in the evening, which within a predetermined time (sequentially) are then loaded so that both z. B. can be taken in the morning.

p0015It is advantageous that the electronic control system is designed such that it responds automatically to respective electrical data of the battery being charged; for example, can be automatically sensed, through which capacity and in particular on which the rated voltage of the battery has, so that then the corresponding charging currents can be provided from the base unit through an initial current pulse to battery to be charged by the control unit itself.

p0016Using the modern technologies in the data and supply voltage transmission is via two-wire lines, it is also possible to speak of the control circuit of the basic unit of the various inserts each and load seated in a connected adapter parts batteries in chronological order, or if it comes to be identical batteries is also simultaneously perform the charging process for the batteries via expansion modules additionally connected in parallel by corresponding increase in current.

p0017Finally, it is also possible to connect each to be connected additional adapter part has its own electrical connection lines to the control circuit in the basic unit in conventional technology, including in lateral juxtaposition on the additional adapter part side these interconnections need to be then merely looped through intermediary adapter parts. It is understood of course that also the possibility is included, initially to be located on both sides of the base unit respectively an additional adapter part.

p0018The measures specified in the dependent claims, advantageous refinements and improvements of the invention are possible. The connections between the various additional adapter parts and the base unit can on the one hand or to each other, via lateral pins, which are inserted into corresponding complementary sockets, which already should be sufficient alone for a sufficient mechanical connection between the individual housings; it is also possible to provide additional mechanical latching or locking compounds, with plug contact connections are possible, allowing the hooking of basic unit with additional adapter parts, for example by the additional adapter part with a lateral downward projecting plug contact projection initially appropriate from above into a receptacle opening is introduced on the base unit until the two part housing abut flush. Lateral pulling apart is no longer possible.

p0019A similar solution is obtained when the two housing parts of the base unit and the expansion module, an additional mechanical connection by means of a guide groove is made at the same time laterally arranged contacts between the basic unit and expansion module. In this case, the basic unit to the expansion module or vice versa between the two adjacent wall areas is achieved by respectively overlapping and engaging behind guide a fixed mechanical protection by the lateral mechanical plugging or plugging, which then simultaneously produced the Verbindungskontaktierungen for continuing electrical lines from the expansion module will. The adjacent electrical contacts clean through the first lateral Gone pushing themselves and can also, for example, on one side below the contact-making improver preload stand.

drawing

p0020Embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawing and are explained in the following description. Show it:<dl id="dl0001"><dt>Fig. 1</dt><dd>schematically in a perspective view in this case already with its own charging slot provided basic unit to which any additional adapter parts can be infected with different charging slot openings for different batteries and</dd><dt>FIG. 2</dt><dd>a variant of the basic form shown in Fig. 1, in addition to the lateral docking a further possibility for adaptation to different battery packs and systems is shown, namely the formation of different charging bay inserts (interchangeable inserts), only for the base unit and / or at the various additional adapter parts;</dd><dt>Fig. 3</dt><dd>another embodiment of the lateral arrangement of one or more expansion modules on a desk-like base unit, wherein the expansion modules have the same pleasing appearance and by the forward inclination to the user inserting the batteries is facilitated to the charging bays, the</dd><dt>FIGS. 3a and 3b</dt><dd>each detail sectional views along lines IIIa-IIIa and IIIb-IIIb of FIG. 3.</dd></dl>

Description of Embodiments

p0021The basic idea of ​​the present invention is to provide a complete battery system with a basic module and any number of additional adapter parts, which can be docked in several versions of the electric range covers basic unit, in an advantageous manner by lateral contact, which immediately also the necessary electrical connections between the base unit on the one hand and the majority of the base unit or among themselves docked additional adapter parts is produced.

p0022In Fig. 1, a base unit 10 with a first side docked additional adapter part 11, which already at this point a variety of lying within the scope of the invention variants are possible; as the basic unit can uniformly be made of the two just mentioned individual elements 10 and 11, so that a purpose different base unit 10 'results, which is formed by a mating housing which accommodates the electronics and related components in the left in the plane part and having a loading slot opening 12 in the right part, for example, for the own device battery, so the battery that is sold with a device or part of a device, which also includes battery charging system according to the invention can be supplied. Of course, an independent acquisition is possible.

p0023The presentation of this extended basic unit 10 'also includes the possibility, if the electronics sector with control circuit transformer and. The like. Sufficiently small building, also in the right part of the far doppelgehäusigen base unit 10' another charging slot 12 'to be arranged so that here immediately two charging options for the same or different batteries give.

p0024The further embodiments of the invention may then be such that 10 'with first loading slot 12 and optionally another charging slot 12' additional adapter parts 13, 14, 15 can be docked to the extended basic device side, so that further, batteries for charging receiving charging bays arise in connection with the still docked additional adapter parts 13, 14, 15; but it is also possible to draw in the simple design of the base unit 10 ', the first additional adapter part 11 and one of the other adapter parts 13, 14, to set the 15th

p0025Furthermore, the representation of FIG. 1 under the various docking facilities also comprises a series-by attaching all additional adapter parts 13, 14, 15 to the base unit 10 with already added accessory adapter parts 11 or to the advanced base unit 10 ', it being understood that in this case in any event have so far mean additional adapter parts on both sides of plug options, as is indicated in terms of sockets 15a, 15b when additional adapter part 15th

p0026It is also possible, the basic unit to dock on both sides additional adapter parts, the pin-shaped plug contacts 17a, 17b (the latter is only dashed the additional adapter part 14 indicated) either from the base unit and / or may emanate from the additional adapter parts.

p0027Since there is no problem, the preferred once existing electronics with transformer and rectifier to be construed as detected by the electronics, the electrical data of each battery to be charged (nominal voltage, capacity) and charging will be voted accordingly, it is a particularly advantageous embodiment the present invention, just the additional adapter parts 13, 14, 15 to provide the various embodiments with respect to their respective charging compartments and arranged in this for contacting the respective battery terminals internal contacts are available, so that any type of rechargeable battery or rechargeable battery by battery charging system according to the invention can be loaded, especially foreign brand batteries. This is not only crucial price advantages when, what is in any case difficult to avoid, works with a variety of different battery packs or rechargeable batteries, but it also reduces the space required, since only a single electronic module for the control, regulation and the monitoring of the charging process is required which is then located in each case in the base unit 10 or 10 '.

p0028In the addition adapters 11, 13, 14, 15 is up to the existing contacts and optionally looped-through connection lines exists no electronics.

p0029In the illustrated plug contacts 16a, 16b; 17a, 17b are each to the two power contacts, which are recognizable by the code suffix "a", and a temperature sensor contact 16b, 17b, which in certain, more sophisticated chargers always is in any case available to even the temperature state of each to loaded accumulator capture. Usually, therefore, many battery packs from the outset has three contact terminals, one of which lead to a temperature sensor in the battery pack.

p0030Alternatively, it is of course in the present invention also possible the particular charging bay 12, 12 ', 13a, 14a, 15a so as to form, that having at any temperature sensor batteries, rechargeable batteries or battery packs, the temperature of the battery inserted can be detected via a cradle on its own temperature sensor.

p0031Shall be charged simultaneously more than just a battery, this is then no problem, if the two or more batteries have the same data, including the electronic control circuit of the base unit then only increases the charging current; is it to batteries of different data and / or articles, then a time sequential charge can be drawn at the same time used batteries into consideration, including the control electronics that monitor external adapter parts served successively in time and the adapter part, which contains a then already charged battery , off of the further power supply. This can be done via separate control information can be carried out via the two-wire connection cable for the charging current or via the temperature sensor line also - in particular additional adapter part is then, the battery terminal contacts associated with an addressable by these respective control information switching part, or to be there the respective docked additional adapter parts separate electrical interconnections provided - which was then added through grinds the connection contacts are easily made in a variety of simultaneously connected additional adapter parts - and the electronics of the base unit then applied each additional adapter parts by switching sequentially. Since a common ground can be used, the number of cable connections remains low even with such a configuration.

p0032. The illustrated in Figure 2 variant present invention illustrates initially their universal applicability and practicability; a base unit 10 '' includes on the left side in the drawing has a housing portion 10a which houses the transformer, rectifier and electronic circuit part, and on the right side a housing section 10b with charging slot opening 19 are each laterally dockable additional adapter parts or extension modules 20, 21, 22 ... provided, which have their own charging bays without its own electronics and through connections to the base unit 10 '' are connected.

p0033In addition, provided the receiving shafts 19, if they do not a priori have a special, a given battery or a rechargeable battery adapted inner contour, are provided in one embodiment of the present invention, each one of a plurality of existing charging bay adapter inserts with in Fig. 2 23 are, 24, 25, respectively. By charging bay adapter inserts into perspective the problem of loading a plurality of different or identical accumulators, far more than the individual charging bay adapter inserts with their respective associated internal and external dimensions matched with corresponding dimensions in then another, always the same receiving shafts are used can, so that only requires a few additional expansion modules, if one has a corresponding number of loading bay adapter inserts.

p0034The plug-in connections of the additional adapter parts with the base part 10 '' are different from the representation of Figure 1 taken in the embodiment of Fig. 2. it is up to each additional adapter part a projecting plug contact edge 26 formed at which downward-going contact pins 27 are arranged, the 'engage in corresponding, upwardly open sockets 28 on the base unit 10'; it still operates in this regard with various charging bay adapter inserts, then the jacks 28, "standardized" for all embodiments, be arranged on a lateral socket surface 29 of the loading bay adapter inserts.

p0035The individual charging bay adapter inserts feature then turn on one or more actual charging bays 24a, 25a. Also in this embodiment, the additional adapter parts or the charging bay adapter inserts contain only contact terminals with a contact interface solution by about the various contact terminals, the electrical connection first from the base unit to a respective additional adapter part and of this about also correspondingly "standardized" Contact terminals are led to the particular charging bay adapter use.

p0036The embodiment of FIG. 3 shows that in addition to the vertically plugged into one another contact details corresponding to Fig. 2, or even alone then other contact versions of the respective expansion module mechanically can be attached to the base module or base unit, preferably as shown in FIG. 3, namely by form guide grooves on both aligned wall portions of the base unit and expansion module in the manner of a toothing engaging behind the locking means by which the basic unit and expansion module are each plugged into each other.

p0037In Fig. 3, the base unit with its own charging bay and uniform housing with 10 '' 'called and in turn consists of the one-piece housing section 10a for the electronics and a thereto preferably integrally attached housing part 10b with battery charging slot 12'. It is merely a second expansion module 13 'still presented with loading slot 13a'; the expansion module 13 'is mechanically positively connected to the base unit 10' locked ''. Locking occurs in the illustrated embodiment, by partially or to a side surface completely circumferential, projecting guide grooves on the facing wall surfaces as shown in Fig. 3a shown to each engage behind, which basic unit are mechanically positively locked with each an attached expansion module. For example, the guide groove 30, 31 are missing the basic unit to the expansion module wall facing downward so that the base unit can be mounted on top of the expansion module. Once a given, backed by attacks end position is reached, resulting in a separate contacting 32. 3 only on the facing wall surface of the base unit 10 '' 'can be seen in the illustration of FIG, the contact is made, for example, as shown in Fig. 3b in detail. Contact projections 33 on one side touching contact surfaces 34 on the other side, for example, under spring pressure.

p0038If desired may be provided for the respective state of charge, or 35 for a temperature indication of just charged batteries on the base unit nor any indicator lights 34th

p0039Finally, it is noted that the claims and in particular the main claim are attempts formulation of the invention without extensive knowledge of the prior art and therefore without restrictive precedent. Therefore, it is reserved, all lay down in the specification, both individually view the claims and the drawing illustrated per se or in any combination as essential to the invention and in the claims as well as to reduce the main claim in its feature content.