CA2144336C - Battery charger - Google Patents

Abstract

A charger for rechargeable cells or batteries utilizes a mechanism whereby resis tance-free voltage is continually monitored during periodic current-off intervals in the charging process and compared to an independent reference voltage to prevent over-charge. After a certain degree of charge has been obtained, the current is gradually reduced to a finishing charge. Several means are provided for terminating the finishing charge while avoiding overcharge. Ano ther embodiment of a charger provides for measurement of the resistance-free voltage during the current-off period after s ufficient time is allowed for the recombination of any oxygen which may have been produced during charging, thus taking into account in herent variations in cells of the same type.

Description

WO 94/07294 214 ~ ~ 3 6 PCT/CA93/00290 BATl ERY CHARGER

FIELD OF THE INV~TION

This invention relates to batte~y chargers, or more particularly to circuits for charging rechargeable batteries and cells. The rechargeable batteries and S cells that can be recharged from circuits and methods of the present invention may range in value from very low voltage -- less than 1 or 1.5 volts -- with ve~y low r~p~ri~i~oc -- in the order of several hundred mAh -- up to batteries in the range of from 12 or 24 volts up to several hundred volts, and with r~r~riti~c in the range of hundreds to several thousand ampere-hours. The present invention provides circuits 10 and methods roncict~nt with the above, and provides circuits whereby the rate of charge current delivered to the rechargeable battery or cell being charged may be in the range of 10C to 15C, or more, and may be regulated down to a triclcle charge.

~ 2 1 4 43 3 6 i BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
United States Patent 5,179,335 which is assigned to a common assignee (and corresponding EPO Publication No.
0,311,460 published April 12, 1989) teaches a battery charger where a prlncipal feature is the fact that the battery charger can deliver a current to a rechargeable battery or cell initially at a rate in amperes greater than the capacity in ampere-hours of the battery -- in other words, at a rate greater that lC. Therefore, the rechargeable battery or cell being charged may be rapidly charged.
Another feature of the previous invention is that means are provided for detecting the internal resistance free v~lt~y~ sf the rechargeable battery OL c-ell being charged, and comparing it to a pre-selected reference voltage which is independent of the battery being charged. In other words, for a particular type and rating of rechargeable battery or cell to be charged, a reference voltage is pre-selected and is generated wlthin the charger circuit. (It is possible that the reference voltage may be pre-selected by switch setting or the like, with prlor knowledge of the condition, rating, and type of rechargeable battery or cell to be charged.) The resistance free voltage is compared to the internally generated reference voltage at an instant in time when the charging current being delivered to the rechargeable battery or cell has been interrupted.
The prior invention provides, that as the internal resistance free voltage of the rechargeable battery or cell ~ 43 3 6 ~

- Za -being charged exceeds the pre-selected reference voltage, means are provided to reduce the electrical charging current and thereby reduce the rate of charging the rechargeable battery or cell, in order to maintain the internal resistance free voltage at a value equivalent to the pre-selected reference voltage. In other words, if it i8 noted that the lnternal resistance free voltage of the rechargeable battery or cell being charged marginally exceeds the reference voltage, then that ls an lndlcatlon that the rate of charglng current dellvered to the rechargeable battery or cell ls too high, and the rate of delivery of the charglng power -- le., the charglng current -- ls reduced.
The present lnvention provldes clrcuits that are in some way similar to those descrlbed ln the above referenced U.S. appllcatlon and EPO publlshed specificatlon, ln that lt has been determined that conditions may exist when it is 617gO-1770 WO 94/07294 21 4 ~ 3 3 6 PCT/CA93/00290 desirable to have better control over the charging process, or conditions may exist where it is important to have control over the reference voltage against which the r,~cict~nce free tPrmin~l vcltage is being compared, so as to ~lev~lL unwanted overcharging characteristics of any sort. Overcharging may occur in some 5 circ -mct~ncPc~ for PY~mrle in the event that the intPrn~l temperature of the rechargeable battery or cell is or becomes high, or even in the event that the ambient temperature in which the charger is operating is or becomes high. Further, it is somerimpc important to monitor not only the resistance free tPrmin~l voltage of the rechargeable battery or cell being recharged, but also the rate of charge, because 10 the onset of certain charge current contlitionc may be indicative of an unwanted overcharge condition occurring.
Recharging may occur in respect of a great many different kinds of rechargeable batteries or cells. Col..,.ln-l con~litionc and types, however, particularly include nickel-r~lmillm that may be used in household toys and appli~nr~c; and more particularly for such rechargeable batteries and cells -- especially nickelr~rlmitlm -- which are used in cignifir~nt qn~ntitiPC in products such as rechargeable hand tools and video camcorders. Other rechargeable batteries (or cells in some conditions) may be lead-acid ~yaL~Ila. they may be found in very small sizes in portable audio tape/radio devices; and in much largOE embo~limpntc in forklift trucks, golf carts and the like, and electric vehicles. The voltage and capacity of such lead acid batteries may be from 2 volts (for a single cell) up to hundreds of volts and more, with r~paritipc rated from fractions of an ampOEe-hour to thousands of ampOEe-hours. Obviously, particularly for large battery insr~ tionc, it is desirable to provide charging ~ ~lLa r~JI~ with the mPthorl of rapid charging, and if the rate of charging may be in the range of 5C to 10C or 15C, then the charging current may be in the range of sevOEal hundreds or thousands of ampOEes.
It must be noted that battery charging occurs when thOEe is a capability of the rechargeable battery or cell to accept charging current -- in othOE
words, battery charging occurs as a ftlnctinn of the charging current and of the state of charge of the battery or cell being charged. In ordOE for there to be a flow of current from the charging circuits to the re~hargeable battery or cell to be charged, thOEe is a tPrmin~l voltage for the charging circuit provided that is higher than the rest voltage of the cell or battery to be charged. ThOEe is, thOEefore, by the WO 94/0729~ 4~ PCT/CA93/00290 difference between those two voltages, a driving voltage -- often referred to as"overvoltage" or "polarizationn; and that voltage may, itself be controlled. But, it is also important to note that the cell voltage or battery voltage being spoken of is the resistance free tPrmin~l voltage thereof -- that is, the tPrmin~l voltage of theS rechargeable battery or cell being charged at a time during its charging sequence when flow of the charging current to the battery or cell has been interrupted. This Plimin~tP~ all voltage losses due to resistances anywhere in the charging circuit or within the battery or celI being charged, and is therefore a true in~lir~tinn of the electrorhPmir~l voltage of the battery or cell. It is also to be noted, however, that the dPtPrmin~tinn of the ~ ."re free tPrmin~l voltage is taken rather soon afterthe flow of charging current has been illL~-u~led, so as to preclude intPrn~l changes occurring within the battery due to time dependent electrorhPmir~l effects. Thus, it is the steady state rP~i~t~nre free tprmin~l voltage that is important to be detected.
Those voltages differ, of course, for various kinds of cell or battery types: such as, for example, nickel r~lmillm (where the resistance free ePrmin~l voltage of a freshly charged cell may be in the order of about 1.38 volts, and of a snhst~nti~lly discharged cell at about 1.19 volts, about where the voltage for the most part remains at about 1.2 volts); or lead acid ~where the rpci~t~nr~ free tPrmin~l voltage may vary from about 1.90 volts to about 2.45 volts).
It is one of the ~ oses of the present invention, as described in greater detail hereafter, to assure that any temperature rise within a battery or cell being charged comes as a consequence solely of the thermodynamics of the charging rP~rtion~ and of the inrPrn~l rpcict~nre of the battery or cell, and not as a consequence of the overcharge electrorhPmir~l processes or~lrring in the cell. As a consequence, it is a corollary of that ~ ose that battery chargers in keeping with the present invention provide higher PffiriPncy when co~ d with collv~ ion~l battery chargers.
To achieve that purpose, the charging circuits must be capable of detPrmining that point during the charging cycle when overcharging of the battery or cell is about to occur. In other words, the battery charger must be capable of the detPrrnining the in~t~nt~neous capabiliy of the battery or cell to accept charging current, and to adjust the rate of delivery of the charging current accordingly. It happens that, by being able to d~",~ Lt: those characteristics, battery chargers -~ 214~33~
according to the present invention have the effect of removing or PIimin~ring the memory characteristic that is so prevalent with nickel cadmium batteries and cells --especially when the nickel r~mium battery or cell has been charged at a slow rate - if it has not yet been fully discharged. It has been the practice, in the past, 5 especially for persons using hand-held tools or camcorders, and the like, either to continue to operate the device until such time as it fails due to substantially complete discharge of the battery, or somPhmpc such as at the end of the day to remove the battery from the device and forcibly discharge it so as to assure that it has been fully discharged, before recharging it.
Moreover, when batteries and cells such as nickel cadmium are charged at a relatively low rate, it is possible that short circuits can occur within the battery, and that is much less likely to happen when the battery is charged at a high charging rate. Of course, in nearly every instance, battery chargers according to the present invention provide an initial high charging current if the battery or cell to be lS charged can accept such a current. As a consequence, it has been found that the cell life -- that is, the number of recharge cycles to which a battery or cell may besubjected -- may be increased by a factor of two or three in the case of nickel cadmium batteries or cells when they are consistently charged using battery chargers of the present invention.
Thus, battery chargers of present invention are capable of providing just small qn~nhriPc of recharging energy to partially discharged batteries or cells, without hz~rming them. That, in turn, suggest that designers of devices using such b~t~PriP.c r~n ulhm~tPly design them to use batteries having lesser capacity than at present, thereby resulting in those appIir~hionc having lower capital cost of m~mIf~rhlre and of acquisition by the user. By being able to provide a "topping up"
charge to such as lead-acid bdlL~i~s or cells, deep dischd~e and therefore the adverse effects of deep discharge on battery life, is avoided. Still further, because the ~ L invention provides battery charges that are capable of recharging batteries in a very short period of time, the necPcsity for durIir~tP or standbybatteries, or the nPf~ for taking the battery operated device out of service for a .signifi-~nt period of time to recharge the battery, are Plimin~tPfl or ovt:lcoll,e.
A typical PY~mple of the above might be a golf cart. Usually, golf carts have six 6-volt batteries each having a capacity of the about 134 ampere-hours.

WO 94/07294 ,~ ~ PCT/CA93/00290 Such batteries have costs in the range of about $400.00, and the total weight is in the range of about 200 kilograms. If it were accepted that when the player usingthe golf cart returns the cart to be re-used by the next player, and that the next player will not use the cart for about 15 or 20 minutes, it is possible to provide the 5 cart with three 12-volt batteries, each having a capacity of about 70 ampere-hours.
That inst~ tinn is capable of being recharged in about 15 or 20 minutes by battery chargers of the present invention; and such a battery inct~ tion may be obtained at a cost of ~,u~ ately $200.00 and may have a weight of about 100 kilograms.
Still further, a lighter golf cart can, itself, be dPcignP~l, so that its range may be l0 extended or in any event its capital cost reduced due to the lighter battery weight that it might carry.
Another typical P~mplP is cordless -- that is, hand-held --- battery powered hand tools. It has been noted that m~nuf~ rers of such tools continuallyincrease the size of the battery packs they require in order to provide them with lS longer operating periods; and that by providing heavier and larger battery packs, the tool becomes bulkier and heavier. Since it was the intention of batteIy powered hand-held power tools to be small and easy to handle and manipulate, the provision of heavier and bulkier battery packs is cOl~ y to the initial purpose for which those tools were developed. On the other hand, by providing battery chargers in keeping 20 with the present invention, the designer or m~nuhrhlrer of the hand-held battery powered tools can bring to the public a tool with a much smaller battery, and which is therefore much easier to h~n-llP The battery packs can be very quickly ~ h~ed, such as during a work break for l~:r~ Pnt, so that the capital cost of acquisition PcpPri~lly by profPccion~l t~adesmen and the like can 25 be reduced and convenience of use Pnh~nrerl Still other ~ rpc may be such as for hand-held portable tPlephnnf~c or portable riirt~hng m~rhinPc, such as the one on which the presentapplication has been drafted. Such m~rhinPc -- and portable audio m~rhin~c in genOEal, especially those having lt:~old.~lg capabilities -- may have various current 30 dPm~n~lc placed on the b~ttPriPc which power them";epPn~iing on whether they are in a recording or playback mode, or if they are rapidly spooling tape from one reel to the other in the mz~rhinP

4 4 3 3 6 ~ ;, 7~

It should also be noted that in a further ~ltP~ltive embodirnent invention, as discussed hereafter, means are provided for deterTnining the internal pressure of the battery or cell being charged, and to alter or terminate the charging operation as a consequence of the sensed internal pLes~ul~.
Applicant refers, in particular, to the following prior art as being of specific interest or note. The prior art comprises a number of patents and one pl-hlication and is directed m one way or another to baKery cha.~i~g. However, the prior art is generally not directed towards battery charging where control is achieved by or is a fimction of the resi~it~n~e free t~Tnin,~l voltage of the rechargeable battery or cell being charged.
Reference is first made to a paper by Dr. Karl Kordesch et al entitled "Sine Wave Controlled Current Tester for Batteries~, published at pages 480 to 483 of Journal of the Electrochemical Societ~ for June 1960. That paper is one of the first references to mea u~eLuelll of the r~-si~t~nce free tP~in~l voltage of the battery being charged, and suggests the use of a portable instrument operated from a 60 Hz source to mahe direct meter readings of the rP-si~t,~nce free tP~rnin~l voltage, and in some way or other to mahe use of that reading for state-of-charge d~~ ",i",~ ion and charge control purposes.
One of the first patents to teach r~,siit~n~e free charging is CHASE, 2() United States Patent 3,576,487, April 21, 1971. That patent teaches the use of a mulliYi~.dlor which turns on and off, thereby p~ pulsed charging current to be fed to the battery. During current iuLe~Luylions~ the battery voltage is sensed and coLupdLed against the LeÇ ,~LIce. If the sensed battery voltage exceeds a pre~ete-rninP~i value, the charging operation stops. There is no control other than that when the main charging operatioll t~ .,.i ,.~, a triclcle charge continues to be fed to the battery.
Another early patent is MULLERSMAN, United States Patent 3,531,~06, September 29, 1970, which teaches a charger that delivers pulsed D.C.charging current, and which senses temperature compensated resistance free terminal voltage of the se led cell being charged. The purpose is that the flow of high charge rate current to the sealed cell may be l~ ed as the cell reaches nearly full voltage, and it is important for there to be a thermal integrator within the sealed cell unit if possible. A voltage responsive controller is provided, whose AMENDED SHEE

WO 94/o729~ 33~ ~~ PCT/CA93/00290 purpose is to tPrrnin~t~ charging function when the voltage across the rPrrnin~lc of the sealed cell unit reaches a predetPrrnine-l value.
BROWN et al provide in their United States Patent 4,061,956 dated Decernber 6, 1977, a D.C. battery charger which has a number of secondary 5 functions whereby the status of the battery being charged is detPrrninrd from signals that are inrlir~tive of the battery tPrmin~l voltage and the temperature of the battery. Brown et al are particularly conrPrne~ with providing a boost signal tocharge the battery in keeping with a pre-splprtpfl charging program which is related to the state of charge of the battery as determined by measurements of its voltage l0 and temperature. The Brown et al patent co~ ".l~lates a variety of charging programs, depending on the nature of the battery and the manner of its installation.
Brown et al is also specifically ronrprned with the possibility of short circuited cells, and tprrnin~t~c or inhibits a charging operation if a short circuited cell is detPrrnine~1 MACHARG was granted United States Patent 3,886,428 on May 27, 1975, and a United States Patent 3,987,353 on October 19, 1976, each relating to a controlled system for battery chargers. Each battery charger is useful for a variety of batteries, but is particularly intPnrled for use with lead acid batteries. In each Patent, Macharg derives a control signal by extracting the int~rn~l resistance voltage 20 drop once the charging current has been switched off, and then differPnt-~ring the rate of decay of the open-circuit tPrmin~l voltage of the battery. A voltage is then derived from this differential to control the m~gnit~l-le of the charging current, in order to pro~ ively reduce the charging ~l~lL; and Macharg is particularly conrPrne-l with the phPnomPnnn of gas generation, noting that gas generation has25 been detected as a result of a si~nifir~nt dirr~-~ial in the rate of decay of the open-circuit t~rmin~l voltage having occurred.
SAAR et al have related United States Patents 4,388,582 of June 14, 1983 and 4,392,101 of July 5, 1983. Both patents are directed to fast charging circuits for nickel r~rlmium b~ttPriP~, or others, and particularly of the sort that may 30 be used in hand-held portable tools. What Saar et al are particularly roncPrnpd with, however, is to analyze the charging characteristic or profile of the battery and on the basis of pre-sPlertP~ criteria adjust the charging characteristic when one or a particular series of values are detPrminP~l Override provisions may also be 4 ~ 21~ A 3 3 6 PCT/CA93/00290 ~1 ernployed, in the event that the battery being charged fails to exhibit the charging characteristics that are expected of it.

~ SUMMARY OE7 'lHE INV~ON
The present invention provides circuis and methods for charging 5 rechargeable batteries and cells. The circuits have a variety of specific design criteria, so that the present invention can provide for temperature compensation, and it can produce variable reference voltages which are contingent upon a number of factors inrl~lt1ing the temperature of the battery or indeed its state of charge acceptance capability. Various and quite rrlmplP~ timing features are provided. Yet 10 another feature of the present invention is that, with certain design pre-conditions for the battery pack being charged, the precise characteristic of that battery pack and therefore the number of cells and the charging voltage to be delivered to the battery pack, can be al1toln~ttr~lly ~letprrninp~l- Yet other reaLu.es of the present invention provide for fine or rlPt~ile~ uvelllents to the charge cycle, whereby 15 undesirable side effects such as th~rrn:71 runaway -- which may otherwise be nntlPtPrt;~hle using ordinary sensing operations -- may be precluded or inhibited.
The present illvellLiull provides a circuit for charging rechargeable b~ttPriPc and cells where a source of PlPrtrir~l charging energy is provided, and is delivered across an output of these circuits to which the rechargeable battery or cell 20 may be connPrtP-l Between the source of electrical charging energy and the rechargeable battery or cell to be charged there is a power control circuit, e.g. of the switching illve~Lel type, and it is arranged so that the rate of the amount of charging energy to be delivered -- and therefore the charging current -- may be regulatedunder the control of at least one sensing circuit and a control circuit. The sensing 25 circuit inrlt1rlPC means for ~lPtPrttng the tPr nin~l voltage of the rechargeable battery or cell, and a COlll~JdldLOr means cc,...yd e~ the detected tPrmin~l voltage with a reference voltage so that an output signal from the cOlll~dldLul is provided when a difference between those voltages exists. A pulsed timing signal which controls short interruption of the charging circuit is provided, and it also controls a l~trhing 30 means so that the latched output of the ~olll~dldLor means is delivered to a control circuit which controls the level of power delivered by the switching illvelLe~ under pulsed con~itionC as dPtPrminP~1 by the pulsed timing signal. When there is a WO 94/07294 ~ 10- PCT/CA93/00290 predetPrTninPfl relationship of the detected tPrrnin~l voltage and the referencevoltage, which is ~letf~rTninpfl when the charging current has been interrupted -- in other words, a predetermined rpl~tinn~hir of the resistance free tPrmin~l voltage of the rechargeable battery or cell being charged with respect to the reference voltage -s - the operation of the controlled circuit is d~tPrTnin~ The duty ratio of the switching sequence of the switching illv~L~ iS detPrrninPrl by the smoothed output of the l~t~hing means, so that the rate of the delivery of charging energy -- the charging current -- is controlled. In keeping with an important feature of the present invention, the reference voltage against which the rf~ci~t~nce free tPrrnin~l 10 voltage is ~u~ d, may itself be altered at any instant in time as a consequence of the status of the rechargeable battery or cell being charged.
Even more broadly stated than above, it can be considered that the switching illv~l~ device may be viewed as a power controller means which is in series with the source. The power controller means is arranged so that the rate of 15 the amount of energy being delivered to the rechargeable battery or cell -- the charging current -- which is l nnnpctprl across the output of the charging circuits, may be regulated as stated above under the control of at least one sensing circuit and a control circuit. Briefly stated, typical power controllers apart from power tr~n~i~tnrs and MOSFErs described in greater detail hereafter, may be such items as 20 silicon controlled rectifiers, linear regulators, switching regulators, and switching m~gneti~ ~mrlifi~r~
The status of the rechargeable battery or cell being charged -- by reference to which the reference voltage may be altered -- includes its temperature, or the temperature of the ambient in which the battery charging circuits are 25 operating. To make that riet~rmin~tinn~ temperature sensitive devices are provided, where the temperature sensitive device may be mounted so as to be affected by the intPrn~l L~llL~dLU~ of the battery or cell, or by the ambient temperature; and in any event, so that the reference voltage against which the rP~ict~n~P free tPrmin~l voltage of the battery or cell is colll,ud~e:d may be algebraically affected by the 30 L~,l~L~re of the tempOEature sensitive device.
The present invention provides that when the tempOEature sensitive device be~nmP~, for one reason or anothOE, inoperative, the circuit arrangement is such that an inopOEative tempOEature sensitive device will cause the charging circuit ~ 71~ 4~ ~ 6 to be turned off, thus resultlng in a failsafe operation.
Still further, the present invention provides means whereby the value of the charging current being fed to the rechargeable battery or cell may affect the value of the reference voltage. Thus, the state of charge acceptance capability of the battery or cell being charged, may itself, further affect the manner in which the rechargeable battery or cell is being charged.
Moreover, the present invention also provides means for sensing the internal pressure of the rechargeable battery or cell being charged. The pressure sensing means can be arranged to affect the reference voltage (or, as dlscussed generally herea~ter, the sense~ terminal voltage) so that under certain conditions the pressure status of the rechargeable battery or cell being charged controls the operation of the charger to either alter or termlnate the charging operation.
Alternatively, the circuits of the present invention may also be arranged so that the input to the comparator mean~
which compares the detected terminal voltage with a reference voltage and which produces an output signal when a difference between those voltages exists, where the output signal from the comparator passes through the latching means to a control circuit so as to control the switching of the switching inverter or the operation of the power controller, may be slightly differently connected. Thus, the present invention also contemplates that the value of the detected terminal ~.

~ ~ ~ 4 4 3 3 6 voltage may be altered as a consequence of the status of the rechargeable battery or cell being charged, rather than the reference voltage ltself belng altered as a consequence of the status of the rechargeable battery or cell being charged.
Generally, the algebralc effect of the slgnal which comes as a consequence of the status of the rechargeable battery or cell being charged would be applied to the detected termlnal voltage slgnal ln the opposite sense to the manner in which it would be applied ln the more usual course to the reference voltage so as to alter that reference voltage as a consequence of the status of the rechargeable battery or cell belng charged.
Needless to say, the present inventlon provides for sultable vlsual and other annunclator means to lndlcate the ongolng operatlon of the charger, lts status, or whether the charging operation has been terminated.
In summary, the present invention provldes a charger for recharglng rechargeable batterles and cells, comprlslng:
(a) means for provldlng an electrlcal charging current from a source thereof to an output across which a rechargeable battery or cell may be connected; (b~ means for periodically lnterruptlng the flow of electrlcal charglng current to sald output and determlnlng the resistance free terminal voltage of the rechargeable battery or cell being recharged durlng the lnterval when said flow of electrical charglng current has been lnterrupted, and comparing the sensed resistance free voltage with a reference voltage ~ndependent o~ the ~ 43 3 6 - 12a -rechargeable battery or cell belng recharged; (c) wherein for a first flxed and predetermined period of time, said electrical charglng current is dellvered to said output at the lesser of either a predetermined maximum current value or a current which said rechargeable battery or cell can accept without any substantial rise in its internal temperature; and wherein following said first fixed period of time said electrical charging current continues to be delivered to said output at said maximum value for a second variable time period which exlsts for so long as said sensed resistance free voltage of the rechargeable battery or cell being recharged is less than said independent reference voltage, whereby said second variable time period is terminated at the first instance when said sensed resistance free voltage reaches the same value as said independent reference voltage, and said electrical charging current is permitted to reduce in such a manner that the sensed resistance free voltage does not exceed said independent reference voltage; (d) a timing means which operates from the beginning of the charge cycle so that (1) following a third predetermined period of time from the beginning of the charge cycle, the electrical charging current is reduced to a predetermined value of from zero to a predetermined low charging current in the event that the charge current is still at said maximum value; and (2) at the end of a fourth predetermined period of time which follows the instant when the electrical charging current begins to be reduced, the electrical charging current is forcibly altered ~ ~ 4 ~ 3 3 ~

- 12b -to a predetermined value of flnishing charge current of from zero to a predetermined low charging current which is below said predetermined maximum current value; and le) a means for terminating the finishing charge; wherein the means for terminating the finishing charge comprises a means for measuring the value of total charge delivered to the battery or cell, and means for terminating the finishing charge when a predetermined value of total charge delivered has been reached.
The present invention also provides a method of recharging rechargeable batteries and cells, comprising the steps of: (a) providing an electrical charging current from a source thereof to an output across which a rechargeable battery or cell may be connected; (b) periodically interrupting the flow of electrical charging current to said output and determining the resistance free terminal voltage of the rechargeable battery or cell being recharged during the interval when said flow of electrical charging current has been interrupted, and comparing the sensed resistance free voltage with a reference voltage independent of the rechargeable battery or cell being recharged; (c) wherein for a first fixed and predetermined period of time, said electrical charging current is delivered to said output at the lesser of either a predetermined maximum current value or a current which said rechargeable battery or cell can accept without any substantial rise in its internal temperature; and wherein following said first fixed period of time said ~ ~ ~ 433 6 - 12c -electrical charging current continues to be dellvered to said output at said maximum value for a second variable time period which exists for so long as said sensed resistance free voltage of the rechargeable battery or cell being recharged is less than said independent reference voltage, whereby said second variable time perlod is terminated at the first instance when said sensed resistance free voltage reaches the same value as said independent reference voltage, and said electrical charging current is permltted to reduce in such a manner that the sensed resistance free voltage does not exceed said independent reference voltage; (d) operating a timer from the beginning of the charge cycle so that (1) following a third predetermined period of time from the beginning of the charge cycle, the electrical charging current is reduced to a predetermined value of from zero to a predetermined low charging current in the event that the charge current is stlll at sald maximum value; and (2) at the end of a fourth predetermined period of time which follows the instant when the electrical charging current begins to be reduced, the electrical charging current is forcibly altered to a predetermined value of finishing charge current of from zero to a predetermined low charging current which is below said predetermined maximum current value; and (e) operating a means for terminating the finishing charge; wherein the means of step (e) comprises a means for measuring the value of total charge delivered to the battery or cell, and wherein the finishing charge is terminated when a predetermined value of total charge delivered has been reached.

WO 94/07294 i ~ PCT/CA93/00290 ~ 3 ~ 6 In keeping with another feature of the present invention, the rechargeable battery or cell being charged is constantly mrnitored to rletPrmine if any one cell in the battery is faulty. In the event that a faulty cell is detectefl, the charging operation is inst~nt~n~ously r~rmin~t~-l and an alarm signal is given to that 5 effect.
As a further variation on the above constant monitoring activity for a faulty cell, the monitoring procedure is inhibited for a first predet~rmined period of time which is shorter than the first fixed period noted above, so that the charging current may be delivered to the output at its m~imum value. This perrnits a short lO period of time when an otherwise idle or deeply discharged battery is first connected to the charger for there to be at least an initial setting up of electrorh~mir~l reaction within the cells of the battery before specific mrnitoring of the faulty cell within the battery is made. Generally, that first period of time when testing for a faulty cell is inhibited lasts for a period of time depending on the type and capacity of the 15 batte~y, and the charging current used, and may typically be between 15 seconds and 3 mimlt~c In yet another variation of the methods of charging cells and in keeping with the ~,es~L invention, after t~rmin~tion of step ~c) as noted above, a different step (e) is initi~tr~l whereby the value of the electrical charging current is 20 constantly s~mple-l on a periodic basis and cu.l,~,~ed with the value of the electrical charging current at the prior s~mpling thereof. If an increase in the electricalcharging current is sensed, or is sensed over a predetPrmine~l period of time depending on the m~nn~r and storage of the periodic value of the sensed chargingcurrent, then another control is operated so as to force the electrical charging25 current to contim~o to reduce. This procedure effectively precludes the possibility of thPrm~l runaway.
Still funther, the ele~;L,ical charging current may be forced to reduce in a controlled m~nn~r either to a trickle current, or even to zero.
As yet a further fine variation, if a decrease of current of at least a 30 predet~rmine-l amount within a predrl~. ,.,i"~l period of time is sensed, then control circuit means are operated to force the electrical charging current to assume a different change of value over a further pre-letPrmined period of time. Thus, the slope of the charge current char~cttorictic against time may, itself, be controlled.

WO 94/07294 ~ 3$ -1~ PCT/CA93/00290 A still further variation of the above recognizes that, in some cir~lmct~nrPc, a finiching charge which is greater than a trickle charge may be required to bring the state of the charge held by the rechargeable battery or cell fully to 100%. In that case, as the charging current is reducing, it may reach a level intended for a predPtPrTninf-~ finiching charge current which may be at a value of about 0.5C to 3C. At that time, a further charge period of cn~ct~nt current at that predetPrmine-l finiching charge current value is initi~tecl and the resistance free voltage of the battery or cell being charged is continued to be dPtPrmined.
Several methods for tPrrnin~ting the finiching charge are contemplated.
In one method, the finiching charge current is tf~rmin~tP~i at the earlier of the first instarlce where a pre~lPtPrrninP-l period of time measured from the bPginning of the charge cycle expires, or in the event that prior to that time the sensed resistance free voltage has increased above the value of the independent reference voltage by a predPtPTmine.l amount. Molt:uY~, if an increase in the PlP~ric~l charging current is sensed, and if at that instant in time the ~le~rir~l charging current is higher than either the intpndp~l value of the finiching charge or even the intended value oftrickle charge the charging current may be reduced to either of the finiching charge value or the trickle charge value.
Another emborlim~nt of the invention incorporates an ampere-hour counter. Such a device may be used in coor~in~tion with a microprocessor, and will record total charge delivered to the battery or cell during a sPlertPfl period of time.
The ampere-hour CO~ ~ may be coor~iin~tP~ with the timing means via the microprocessor so as to ~ the finiching charge at a certain preselected value of total current delivered during a certain period of time.
A further embo-lim-~nt iIlCOl~ulclL~S a means, usually a microprocessor, for ~lPtPrting changes in the ~"e~ul~d r~ l ...rP free voltage with respect to time.
The dete~hon of certain rh~rartprictir change points may be used as a signal fortPrmin~ti-~n of the finiching charge. In addition, the arnpere-hour counter may be employed in conjunction with the change ~letprting means so as to tPrrnin~te the30 finiching charge after a prpc~lprtprl value of total current has been delivered since the cletectic-n of a certain char~Prictir change point.
Another emborlimPnt sets the finiching charge time in relation to the tirne difference between the end of the second variable period of time and the b~ginning of the fourth pre(lptprminp~l period of time.

WO 94/07294 -1~ 2 ~ ~ 4 3 3 ~ PCT/CA93/00290 As a still further variation of the methods according to the present invention, the intPrn~l pressure of the rechargeable battery or cell being charged may be sensed. That sensing may affect the reference voltage in the same way as the L~-l~dL lre sensing affects the reference voltage. The charging operation may 5 be altered or tPrmin~tP~1 upon a pre~lr~ -;,le~l change of intPrn~l pressure of the rechargeable battery or cell being sensed, or when a predetPrminPrl absolute inrPrn~
pressure of the rechargeable battery or cell is reached.
A further ernbo-limPnt of the present invention provides for an ,uluv~d mPtho-l for measuring the current-off rpcict~nce-free voltage V~F It hasbeen found that by ntili7ing a relatively long current-off period, e.g. 50-1000 msec, and measuring the VR~ near the end of the period, the ir~fluence of individual cell design on charger ~rullll~nre can be reduced.

BRI~ DESCRlIrl ION O~ IHE DRAWINGS
The above redL~s, and other provisions and variations thereof, are described in detail hereafter. Certain general r~dL~L~ts with respect to batterycharging, and the theoretical and ~CUVt:Lllillg aspects thereof, and tvpical charging char~rtPrictirc and circuits which achieve those characteristics, are also ~;iccllcce-Thus, the ~licrl-ccinn hereafter is made in association with the ~rco",l.~"y, lgdrawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a typical charge acceptance curve for a battery, showing the co-relation of charge current, and undercharge and overcharge zones, with the state of charge of a battery or cell being charged, as the state of charge progresses in tirne;
Figure 2 shows the thrrm~l effects of discharge, charge, and overcharge, of a typical small nickel r:~rlmillm cell, at a relatively low charging rate of lC;
Figure 3 shows typical curre~t, cell L~ll~u~dLu~e, and ~rcllmlll~te(l charge char~rt~rictirc of a nickel r~mil~m cell charged under very rapid rnn~litions in keeping with the ~,esc:..L invention;
Figure 4 shows another set of curves for a somewhat larger cell charged over a slightly longer period of time, showing also the effects on intPrn~
cell pressure;

WO 94/07294~ 1~ PCT/CA93/00290 Figure 5 shows typical current and temperature ron~iitions of the cell being charged and discharged undOE rather heavy duty con~litionc using a charger of the present invention;
Figure 6 is a set of curves sirnilar to those of Figure 4, but where the S cell is cold and is charged at cold ambient temperatures;
Figure 7 is yet another set of curves showing typical charge, L~ ~aL~lre and current char~rtPrictirc of a high capacity battery which was charged over a relatively short period of time;
Figure 8 is a circuit of a typical charger in keeping with the present 10 invention;
Figures 9 (a), (b), and (c), are typical curves showing the effects of various reference voltages as they change in time, and the various effects they have on a charging current where the charging current is, in any event, being reducedbelow a m~iml~m charging current in keeping with the state of the charge 15 acceptance capability of the cell or battery being charged;
Figure 10 is a family of typical charging curves for battery packs having various capacities, all cnarged with an ifl~ntir~l m~imllm ~
Figure 11 is a curve showing charging current against time, where certain predPtPrminP~I tirne periods from the bPginning of a charge cycle are 20 inAi~tP~l;
Figure 12 is a state of change and ~onrlition diagram co-relating the various states of charge that might occur or fault ronrlitions that might occur during charging of a battery, with reference to the time periods shown in Figure 11;
Figure 13 shows a family of charge current versus time curves, where 25 the cnn~ition of thPrm~l runaway may occur;
Figure 14 shows the i~ oaiLion of forced charge current control on the charge current, having reference to the typical time periods referred to in Figure 11;
Figure 15 shows yet ~nnthrr charge current versus time con~1ition with respect to prerlPtPrminP~l time periods with dirr~lL control criteria than suggested 30 in Figure 14;
Figure 16 is yet another charge current versus time curve showing another criterion by means of which thPrm~l runaway may be pre~ln-le~l; and WO 94/07294 -17 2 1~ ~ 3 3 6 PCT/CA93/00290 Figure 17 is a figure similar to Figure 11 but showing finiching charge condition; and carrying with it a related set of time curves showing the correlation of the tPrmin~l voltage and the ~ ,ce free voltage of the rechargeable battery or cell being charged.
Figure 18A shows a three--limPncion~l family of voltage decay curves taken every 10 secon-lc (and plotted every 2 m--inutes) during 500 mseC interruptions of5A (8C) charging current passing through rr,mmPrcial X brand AA NiCd cells.
Figure 18B is a two--limPncinn~l sample of Fig. 18A showing voltage as a function of elapsed charging time for current-off time of 15 and 495 msec.
Figure l9A is similar to Fig. 18A except that cell brand Y was used.
Figure 19B is a two-~limPncional sample of Figure l9A showing voltage as a function of elapsed charging time for current-off time of 15 and 495 msec.

DESCRI~ION O~ THE PR}RRED EMBODIM~TS
Having regard to Figure 1, the basic principles of the present invention, and the ronci~lPrations of charging char~rtPricrirc and charge acceptance characteristics of a rechargeable battery or cell are now reviewed. What Figure 1 shows is a characteristic rpl~tinnchir of charge current against state of charge of the battery or cell, it being Im~prstood that the state of charge varies as charge is delivered to the battery or removed from it. A typical curve 10 is shown, which 20 .cignifie.c the m; ,~i,ll,charge current that the battery is capable of accepting -- i.e., collv~Li~lg charge current into stored rhPmir~l energy -- as a function of its state of charge. This curve ~ lly divides the figure into two zones; the zone 12 that is under the cuIve 10 being the und~.l~e zone for the battery or cell, and the zone14 that is above the curve 10 being the overcharge zone for the battery or cell being charged. Also shown is a line 16 which intPrcectc with a line 18, and the curve which Cu~ lines 16 and 18 may be considOEed to be the curve of an ordinary prior art charger which charges a battery or cell at a rnnct~nt current until such time as a particular tPrmin~l voltage is reached -- which voltage is int~nrled to ~ s~lL
100% of the state of charge of the battery or cell -- at which time the constantcurrent is tPrmin~tPfl and reduces either to zero or tc a trickle charge. The trickle charge is shown at 20, and is, in any event, an PlrtPncion of curve 10 past line 18 (i.e., after the occurrence of the condition ~rPc~ l by line 18).

WO 94/07294 ~ 33 ~ -18- PCT/CA93/00290 By 100% state of charge, it is understood that the battery or cell being charged has reached 100% of its capacity of stored energy, measured in ampere-hours. However, state of charge per se is not a char~nchr that can be specifir~11y measured except by fully discharging the cell or battery to det~rrnine what the state 5 of charge was at the time that the discharge operation was begun. On the otherhand, the capability of the battery or cell to accept charge is a function of its state of charge; and if higher current is fed to the battery or cell than it is capable of accepting to increase its state of charge, then heat and gases are produced within the battery or cell. The area 22 which is above the curve 10 but below the curve10 16,18 lc:~les~lL~ a ~om~in or set of rnn-lihnnc where ovPrhP~hng will occur under charge rnnc~ihonC such as proposed by curve 16,18.
Chargers in keeping with the present invention will follow curve 16, which may be at 10C -- the charging current level as shown in Figure 1, but may be at any other value such as 3C or 4C, or even up to 20C -- until such time as the15 state of charge corl-lininn is reached where curve 16 i~ curve 10. At that time, and as riicrl1cc~1 in greater detail hel~afL~, adj1-ctmP7lt of the charge current is made. Thus, curve 10 r~:~.esel,L. the charge acceptance curve.
If a charging current is fed into the battery or cell, and as the state of charge increases, the electrorhpmir~l carriers within the battery or cell are one by 20 one cGllv~Lt:d from the discharged into the charged state. Thus, as charge progresses, there are fewer and fewer carriers still available hr collv~ion, and the ability of the battery or cell to accept charge decreases. If, at that time, when the reduced density of carriers means that the battery or cell is in~ ~p~hlP of accepting a current beyond a certain limit, forcing the charge current beyond that limit does not 25 result in faster charging, but results in elevating the electrode potentials to the electrolysis level -- which results in the evolution of gases and excess heat.
Overcharging of the battery or cell occurs, and damage may begin to be experienced within the battery or cell. It is that .,.L..,..~I;...re which charging circuits of the present invention seek to ov~Lll.e, by recognizing when the charge carriers are no 30 longer capable of h~n~lling an inrnming charge current and thereby reducing the incoming current to rnatch the deL~ lg ability of the carriers to handle the in~oming charge current. Those rea....~ are ~lic~lcsprl below.

WO 94/07294 ~ 21~ 4 3 3 6 PCT/CA93/00290 .

The following ~licrllccinn is directed particularly at nickel r~lmillm cells, or batteries made up of a number of nickel r~rimillm cells for such use as in hand-held power tools, camcorders, and the like. At their equilibrium cell voltage of a~ylu~ ately 1.2 volts per cell, nickel r~rlminm cells have a negative temperature S coPffiri~nt in the order of -4mV/ C. As noted above, the cPlls are charged at a higher charger tPrmin~l voltage, so that there is a driving voltage which is thedifferentiai between the charger tPrmin~l voitage and the rest ceii voitage.
Mo~t:uvel, it is noted that even the industry which provides nickel r~lmillm cells to the market -- especially those having sintered electrodes -- recognizes the capability 10 of those cells to tolerate very high discharge rate cirrnmct~ncPc of up to 10C;
whereas the lerl.,..,..Pn~led charging rate is usually only about 0.1C.
The charge re~c~innc within a nickel cadmium cell are as follows:

2Ni(OH)2 + 20H- --> 2NiOOH~H20 + 2e (1) Cd(OH)2 + 2e --> Cd + 20H- (2) It should be noted that the limit~tion of the low recommPncled charging rate of about 0.1C is not related to the charge re~rtionc noted above, but rather to the overcharge reaction (3) -- shown below -- which may occur on the positive electrode of a nickel r~rlmium cell, and to the uv~ ;e reactions (4) and (5) --shown below -- which occur on the negative electrode of a sealed nickel cadmium cell, or the uv~ e reaction (6) -- shown below -- which occurs at the negative electrode of a vented nickel r~rlmillm cell. Those overcharge reactions are:

40H- --> 2H20 + ~2 + 4e (3) ~2 + 2Cd + 2H20 --> 2Cd(OH)2 (4) ~2 + 2H20 + 4e --> 40H- (5) 2HzO + 2e --> H2 + 20H- (6) When sealed cells are being charged, the oxygen evolution which comes as a result of overcharge reaction (3)-generates pl~u~e within the cell, and that in turn accelerates the cc,,~ g rP~rtionc of the evolved oxygen as shown inovercharge rP~rrionc (4) and (5). However, it should be noted that at a low 30 charging rate of about 0.1C, for PY~mplP the pressure within the sealed cell remains =

?. ~. 4 ~ 2~ PCT/CA93/00290 at about 1 ~tmnsphPre; whereas, at a charging rate of only 1.0C, the pressure within the sealed cell could exceed 10 ~trnnsphrres for ordinary cells, and even 5 ~tmnsphPres for special high rate cells which have special designs to ~nh~nce oxygen recombination. Thus, faster charging is only possible if the charging current is5 controlled, or stopped, before cignifir~nt ovOEcharge contlition.c of the cell occur.
Moreover, the recombination rtq~rtinnC are slower at low L~~ ~dLu~cs, so that if the cell temperature is reduced by about 40 C, the operating pressure within the cell will usually double. Therefore, for cold batteries there is a cignifir~nt risk of the cell safety valve opening, which would result in loss of the electrolyte from the cell, 10 especially if the cold cell is being rapidly charged other than by the circuits and methods of the present invention.
Still further, the overcharge reactions (3), (4), and (5), for sealed cells, may also result in 5ignifir~nt heating within the cell. On the other hand, the charge reactions (1) and (2) will generally result in a slight cell cooling due to the lS negative heat of reaction of about 0.06 kcaVAh. That negative heat of reaction may or may not be m~cketl by heat evolution within the cell due to the intrrn~l rPcict~nr~ of the cell. Also, the discharge reaction of the cell will naturally show the opposite heat effect to the negative heat of reaction of re~rtinnc (1) and (2). It has been detrrminrd that if the cell were to be thrrm~lly insulated, the charging 20 reaction at very low charge rates could cool the cell by about 10 C but the subsequent overcharge period could increase the cell ternperature by at least 20- C
for every 10% of capacity over the full charge of the cell. This is illustrated in Figure 2 where charge and discharge, and overcharge, are all ro,.~ ,lated at a lC
rate. Curve 24 shows a rise in L~.l~dL~lre from less than 10'C to above 30'C over 25 slightly more than one hour of discharging, with a re~ rtion in temperature for the next hour of charging to about 25 C, but then a signifir~nt increase in temperature over the next half hour or so of overcharging.
Thus, the present invention is fully aware of the fact that the overcharge phase as noted in Figures 1 and 2 may occur even before the charging of 30 the cell has been cnmplrt~-l However, at high charge rates, the ability of the cell to accept charge may fall below the rate of charge even when the state of charge isonly at a fraction of its full capacity, so that the overcharge rP~tionc may set in, with the ~n...~ .curate heat and p~u.e consequences, well before the cell is fully ~ 2~4~336 charged.
Most of the prior art rlPmnnctrates charging methods where the charging current is delivered in short, high energy pulses that are st:~dted by zero current intervals during which inform~tion about the state of charge is obtained. As S described above, that illfu~ "".~ ion may strictly be the r~;cl," ,re free tPrmin~l voltage, or as in Macharg or ~tlllrrcm~n it may relate to a dPtPrmin~tion of voltage decay rate during the interval of zero charge current. Some of the heat which is due to the overcharge re~rtionc can be Plimin~tP~l; but by delivering short pulses of high current and therefore subjecting the cell to high voltage drops, i~ v~ible heating 10 due to the intPrn~ ,.rP of the cells will occur.
It follows that controlling the charging current to just below the level where overcharge con~iihonc begin, as dernonstrated in Figures 1 and 2, is ideal, since both over~ and over-~ ~dlure rnn-lihons should be avoided.
Circuits of the present invention, where current interruptions of only a few 15 milliceconds are employed, are able to detect the onset of overcharge reactions within the cell and thereby reduce the charging current to a safe level so as tocharge the cell at the highest current poccihlP without overcharging. In other words, circuits of the present invention will follow the charge acceptance curve of the cell or battery after the time that the cr",~ current curve lfi i~ e, I~ the charge 20 acceptance curve 10, as shown in Figure 1.
For PY~mrlP reference is made to Figure 3, where the charge, temperature and current char~rtprictirc of half-height sub-C cells having capacities of about 650 mAh are shown. It should be noted that the initial current as shown incurve 26 is delivered at almost 18C for about 3 ,..;,...I~, whereby nearly 90% of the charge of the cell is delivered in the first 5 mimltPc as shown at curve 28. At the same time, curve 30 shows that the intPrn~l L~ll~eldLu~: of the cell increased by only about 10-C, where the initial L~ll~dLu~e of the ce~ was at about ordinary room temperature.
Figure 4 shows still further curves for sub-C cells having r~r~rihPc Of about 1200mAh. However, the charge curve 32, cell temperature curve 34, and charging current curve 36, are joined by curve 38 which shows intPrn~l cell gauge pressure. The charging is a nnmin~l 15 minute charge at a current rate of about 4C, so that at about 12 or 13 mimltPc the current began to reduce and the charge W O 94/07294 6 PC~r/CA93/00290 reached about 90% of its rated capacity. It will be noted that a nrgligihle increase of ~JlC~ lC occurred within the cell, and that the increase in LJlC I~ C leveled off at about 18 ~ c when the charge current was reduced to zero. The temperature within the cell actually decreased very sIightly over the entire charging operation.
The ~ ose of Figure 5 is to show typical current and temperature conditions by curves 40 and 42, respectively, for ordinary cells of the sort whose charging char~(tPrictirc are shown in Figure 4. Here, however, the charging current is slightly higher, at about 5C. During the discharge interval shown at 44, it will be noted that the int.orn~ re of the cell increased, whereas in the subsequent charging cycle 46 the intrrn~l cell temperature decreased. The sarne increase intemperature during discharge and decrease of ternperature during charge are repeated at intervals 48 and 50. The electrorhrmir~l cooling effect combined with the heat losses are therefore shown to rernove the heat produced during each discharge period as the cell is subsequently charged.
Referring now to Figure 6, another set of curves is shown which are similar to those of Figure 4. However, in this case, the cell temperature is very cold, being in the range of -15 to -10-C. It will be noted that in this case the charging current curve 52 has not reached the ,- ,, Y i,- ." ,- of about 5 dlllpClt S which is lirnited by the switching power source within the charging circuits, as the ability of the cell to accept charge was dc~lc~cd due to the low temperature. There was a certain warming t-ondrnry of the L~ll~JCld~ C, curve 54, as the charge, curve 56, increased;
but it is clear that as the cell wdl.lled up and was capable of accepting a higher current, it would not overcharge and, indeed, the LClllpCldLll~t: began to decrease.
The charger was operated for a 20 rninute period, at which point 60 it turned off. It was then imm.o~ trly l~Ld~Lcd, and it will be noted that the charging current continued to follow the curve 52 dovv~wdldly, as expected. The ~lC~ C within thecell increased over the entire period that the charging operation continued as shown in Figure 6, but there was dearly no t:.~LCC5:~iVC or dangerous buildup of cell pressure at the low cell ~Clll~CldlU~CS being experienced.
Finally, as to typical dharging curves for various kinds of cells and batteries, Figure 7 shows a l~ea~ulcd charge current curve 62, a charge curve 64, and a temperature curve 66, which exhibit the charge characteristics of a nickelr~r1mium aircraft battery charged at an initial charging rate in the order of 200 ~ -23 21'~4-37g~
amperes. The capacity of the battery, a large vented nickel cadmium battery having sintered plate construction, is 40 Ah. What is particularly of note is that, as shown at curve 64, d~luxi~ tPly 85% of the charge was delivered to the battery in 10 ul~c. MO~UV~:L, the intPm~l L~ll~dLu~ of the batter,v -- which was charged at S ambient room temperature -- increased less than 10 ~ C. The battery was fully recharged in less than 30 minIltPc A Typical Charging Circuit of the Present Invention:

Figure 8 shows a typical charging circuit, with a battery pack set up as 10 ~licrnccPd hereafter. The circuits are much cimrlifiP~l to show PccPn~i~l components, but not nprpcc~rily all components, of an actual charger. Moreover, several circuit additions which affect the variable refOEence voltage in keeping with the present invention, and which are dependent on such factors as temperature and charge current, are shown but may not appear in any specific charger.
Briefly, the circuit of Figure 8 iS as follows:
A source of electrical energy 70 iS provided; that source may be such as 115 volts AC or 12 volts DC, or otherwise. 115 volts AC is a standard household voltage in North ~mrrir~, 12 volts DC is standard ~lltnmobile voltage, suggecting therefore that the circuitc of the present invention c~n be arranged to operate under ordinary hollcPhrJkl voltage ~.. ~I~.. rPc or to be powered such as from the cigarette lighter of an ,.. Il.. obile. An output 72 iS provided, to which electrical charging energy is delivered; and a rechargeable battery or cell which is shown generally at 74, is ronnPcte~ across the output 72. A switching ~llvc:lL~ circuit 76 of the buck type is provided in series with the source 70, and a ~pical switching device 25 is MOSFET Q1. Obviously, the rate of the ~.lo~IL of energy being delivered to the output 72 and rechargeable battery or cell 74, and therefore the charging current, may be regulated by ~iL~l~llg the switching i~lv~L~ 76 between its conducting and non-conducting states. That switching control is, itself, under the control of acontrol circuit 78 which may be a pulse width modulated controller. The control 30 circuit 78 iS ~ro~oILionally controlled by a control input 84 whose input is fed from sensing circuits as f~icrllcsPrl h~c~L~. As a matter of collv~ PnrP~ the output of ~mplifiPr 86 iS connPrtp~l to the controller 78. Further, timing pulses coming from ~ 'I 4 4 3 3 -24- PCiio9/PCT

the timer 82 to the enable input 80 of the control circuit 78 control short hlLeLLuL~lions of the charging current.
In the ~lt~rn~tive approach to the portion of the circuit of Figure 1 by which the power--that is, the charging current--is delivered to the input, it is evident that other power delivery systems that are controllable may be utilized. For e~ample, the switching inverter device 76 is shown as utili7in~ a MOSFET, but it could as easily be s~lhstit~t~d by other power control devices, as is well known in the art. Therefore, in its broadest sense, a power collvelhr device is inserted in the series between the source 10 and the output 72. Typical e~amples of such a power converter device may include bipolar transistors, silicon controlled rectifiers, gate turn-off thyristors, linear regulators, or switching m~gnetiC amplifiers, in circuits of different types andtopologies.
Sensing means are provided to detect the terTnin~l voltage of the rechargeable battery 74. They include a sensing line 88 connected to a resistor PS, so that the signal at the negative input of collly~l dLor 90, connected also to resistor R2~ to form a voltage divider to ground, is a function of and directly related to the detected t.?rmin~l voltage of the battery or cell 74. The other input to the comparator 90 is the rt;r~Lel~ce voltage which is generated within the charging circuit, and is independent of the t~rminal voltage of the battery or cell 74. The reference voltage is found at line 92, and it is initially set during c~l ihration of the circuits off the divider network R3 1 and P1. As noted hereafter, the value of the reference voltage on line 92 is, however, algebraically affected by compensation which is arranged for temperature of the battery or cell 74 or the ~mhi~nt, depending on the mounting of temperature sensitive device 94. The value of the reference voltage on line 92 may also be algebraically affected by the value of the charging current. The temperature comp~n~tion circuit showll generally at 96 and the charge current compensation circuit shown generally at 98 are connected through jumpers J1 and J2, respectively, so that their output values are algebraically added at junction 100.
~ Whenever a difference occurs between the voltage reference on line 92, ,~ ' 30 and the detecte~ tP~min~l voltage at junction 102--the inputs to comparator 90--an output signal from the Cu~ dLOr 80 iS delivered on line 104 to a control input of latching means 106 which, for convenience, is shown as a D-type flip-~lop.

.~.~i- .
AMENDED SHEET
~,~
~'.

WO 94/07294 -2S- 2 14 ~ 3 3 6 PCT/CA93/00290 Control output from 1~trhing means 106 is fed on line 108 through network R34, C14 which has values so as to give it a slow time rnn~t~m, to one of the input tPrmin~l~ of ~mrlifiPr 86. The network C15, R40 which is a fee~lh~rk network from the output of ~mplifiPr 86 to the other input thereof, is one having a fast timeS constant. In general, the speed of the controller 78 is such as to operate theswitching illv~L~ circuit 76 at frequencies of 20 Khz to 30 Kh7 (and in some instances, up to 100 Khz). The switching illv~L~ circuit 76 of the buck configuration consists of the MOSFET switch Q1, diode D2, and the inductor L1.
Typically, the switching illvt:~L~ circuit 76 is turned completely off for a period from 0.5 msec up to about 20 msec, and usually in the range of about 1 to 3 or 5 msec, under the control of the enable input 80. The filter r~r~ritnr C6 filters out the switching frequency of the switching illv~L~ circuit 76, so as to preclude any unwanted effect of high frequency at the output 72.
Obviously, the duty cycle of the switching illv~L~ device 76 is 15 controlled by the controllOE 78 under its logic enable signal 80 and its proportional control signal 84.
As noted, the control signal input 84 is inl1uenced by the output of the amplifier 86. Its output is influ~nrPfl by the value of the charging current if the charge current sensing circuit 98 is operable, as described hereafter. In any event, 20 the controller 78 can therefore be controlled at any tirne that charge current is flowing, but in kpeping with the ron~ition~ of the operation of the charging circuit and the ronrlitinn~ of the charging current and the sensed t~rmin~l voltage of the rechargeable battery or cell 74, all as controlled by the output 108 of the l~trhing device 106; and that output is, in turn, a fimrti~7n of the output of the ujlllp~d~ur 90 on line 104 as tlPt~nin~rl by the '"~ ;co.. of the sensed tP~in~l voltage value at junction 102 and the reference voltage on line 92.
The action of the described feedback circuit is such that, in its linear operating region when charging current is greater than zero but less than the m~imum current, it will adjust the value of the charging current so that the battery voltage sensed at junrtiorl 102 at the time the output of the ~u. ~ O~ 90 on line 104 is latched into the l~trhing means 106, shall equal the value of the reference voltage on line 92. As noted, the reference voltage on line 92 is or may be further influenced by the value of the charging current and/or the output of the ~. -26- PC~109/PCT
~ .
,~ temperature sensitive device 94, if circuits 96 and/or 98 are active.
It is worth nathing, therefore, that the provision of the pulsed timing signal on line 110 to the enable input 80 of controller 78, and to the clock input of the latching means 106, provid~s for ON-OFF control of tbe switching inverter 76 under 5 the control of the timer 82. Needless to say, a cloc~ pulse can also be provided on line 112 instead of from line 110 as a consequence of control under the ~It~ ting current source being delivered also to input 70, and being triggered thereby.
In some cas~s a pLeS~ure sensitive device such as a specifically mounted strain gauge or the like, haYing a variable resi~t~nce depending on the pressure it is 10 exposed to, may be mounte~ within the rechargeable battery or cell being charged.
,~ That is shown at 95, and it may be connected to jumper J3. The action of the pressure sensitive device 95 affects the voltage at junction 100 in much the same manner as the action of thenmi~tf)r 94 affects the voltage at junction 100.
In an ~ "~ ve arrangement, the output of circuits 96 and 98, which are the temperature comp~n~tion circuit and the charge current compensation circuit,respectively, (or of the pL~S~LLLe sensitive device RP), may instead of being connected so as to algebraically affect the ~e~ence voltage on line 92, be connected at junction 102. Such a conn~ction is shown by the line 114. Tn that case, the v~lue of the reÇ_.e.~ce voltage on 92 remains sl~hst~nti~lly cOIls~ but the other input to the co,~pard~oc 90 from the junction 102 is algebraically affected by the operation of the circuits 96 andlor 98. In general, a further inverter amplifier would also be inserted in the line 114, so that the effect of the output of circuits 96 andlor 98 is algebraically added to junction 102 in the opposite sense than they would be at junction 100 so as to affect the value of the ~~r~l~nce voltage on line 92.
The effect of the temperature comp~ns~tion as a consequence of the operation of the temperature sensitive device 94 and the temperature compensation circuit 96, is now discussed. Obviously, one principle purpose of temperature compensation is to avoid thermal lullawdy. Moreover, the charging circuit of thepresent invention must be capable of operating over wide temperature ranges, where the chargers or the batteries being charged, or both, may typically be found in ambient tempe~aiules ranging from -20~C to +50~C.

AM~NDE3 SHE~
-WO 94/07294 i PCT/CA93/00290 ~ -27- 2~4~13~6 A temperaNre s~l~iLivt: device 94 is provided. That device may be a thermistor, a temperature s~l~iLivt: resistor other than a thermistor, a two tPrmin~31 temperature sensitive active device, or a multi-terminal temperature sensitive active device. In any event, the output of the temperature sensitive device is a function of the temperature of the device, and that output changes in accordance with the temperature of the device. The L~.l~dLI~re of the device is dPrPntlPnt on the manner in which it is mounted: the temperature sensitive device may be mounted in such a m~nn~r that its temperature is affected by the ambient in which the recharging circuit or the rechargeable battery or cell is placed; or it may be mounted in such a manner that its tempOEature is affected by the intPrn~l temperature of the rechargeable battery or cell. In the formOE condition, the tempOEature sensitivedevice may simply be mounted in a position that it is near the outside of the case of the chargOE, or it is near the mounting arrangement where the rechargeable battery or cell is placed. In the lattOE case, the tempOEature sensitive device may be mounted in such a m~nnPr that it is urged into close and i~ physical contact with the case or shell of the rechargeable cell or battery being charged, so that changes of intPrn~l L~llpeldLu~e within the cell or battery affect the tempOEature of its case or shell and thereby are noted by the tempOEature sensitive device.
The L~ll~dLu~: s~lsiLiv~ device 94 is llloLIllLt:d in such a manner that its physical mounting is noted at jacks 116 and 118. Moleov~, in the circuit of Figure 8, jack 118 is arranged that a switch 120 is open if the temperature sensitive device is in place, and is closed if it is not. In any event, the value of R20 may be such that thOEe is an ~ u~ ly linear voltage output at the junction of R19 and R20 OVOE the range of, say, -10 C to +60 C. t~h~nging the value of R19 will allow adjl-~tmPnt of the m~gninl~lP of L~ll~aLu~t: comppn~tinnJ so that if it is known for PY~mple that the battery chargOE will operate only with a specific battery type such as nickel ~millm or nickel-hydride, or lead-acid, diffOEent values of R19 may bechosen. The fixed .~i~Lor R21 is c~mnP~e~ in the circuit if the temperature sensitive device 94 is .clllovt:d and the switch 120 at jack 118 closes.
It will be noted that a furthOE colll~ollent i~iPn~ifiPtl as N19 is included in the circuit, in series with l~i Lur R19 and jumpOE J1. That co~ oilent N19 may be a network or device which has a complex, non-linear output, whOEeby the opOEatiOn of the circuit as it is affected by the opOEation of the temperature sensitive WO 94/07294 = ~ 3 6 -28- PCT/CA93/00290 device 94 may be more sensitive in certain ranges of noTnrpr~ttlre being sensed than in other ranges.
Mulwvel~ an ~mpli~SPr 122 is provided, and it has an input from the same junction of le~ LU~ R19 and R20, and R21. In the event that the circuit 5 inr1l~1ing the temperature SellsiLive device 94 should accidentally open, amplifier 122 will generate an RTO (tPmpP~nlre sensor open) signal on line 124. That line goes to an input of OR-gate 109, which is arranged so that any signal at either of its inputs will cause LED 126 -- which is a red LED -- to illnmin~tP At the same time, the signal from the output of OR-gate 109 is fed to the l~trhing device 106 at input l0 R, and it causes the l~trhing device to shut down and thereby to inhibit further charging current at the output 72.
It will also be noted that a second CCllll~JdldLUl 91 iS provided, as well as a second l~trhing device or flip-flop 107. The inputs to the co,ll~dLuI 91 are from the voltage sensing line 88, and through a voltage divider R30/R29 from the15 reference voltage line 92. The ~ ose of the COlll~udld~ul 91 is faulty cell sensing in the battery or cell 74. If the sensed r~cict~nrp free tPrmin~l voltage of the rechargeable battery or cell 74 reduces because the cell (or a cell of the battery) is faulty, then an intolerable difference be~weell the sensed value of the rpcict~nr~o free voltage and the reference voltage ~s noted by the Culll,udldLol 91. That being the 20 case, the output of the COlll~dldLOl iS fed to the l~trhing device or flip-flop 107, where a low voltage output on line 111 occurs. That low voltage output on line 111 is fed to an input of the OR-gate 109; the other input of which is the RTO signal on line 124. As noted above, a signal at either input of OR-gate 109 causes the LED136 to illllmin~tP and at the same time applies the shut-down signal to input R of 2~ l~trhing device 106.
Although ~ccori~tpf~ iLly is not cF)~rifir~lly shown, it is obvious that the operation of the ~ LIe SelLSiLive device 95 may be quite similar to that of th~o operation of the tell~eldLul~ Sc-~iLive device 94. Thus, the ~re~ e sensitive device 95 is shown rnnn~tecl to jumper J3, but it may also be rnnn~rtPcl through a 30 similar circuit as is the ~ .,.l...e sensitive device 94; and in any event, its operation and the output from the ~)~eaa~l~e ~ellSiLive device 95 as it may be affected by the intPrn~l ple~ e of the le~lldl~;edble battery or cell 74, affects the voltage at junctiûn 100 (or at junction 102, as rlicc~lcse~l above).

WO 94/07294 -29- f ?1~ ~ 3 3 6 PCT/CA93/00290 ~ .
It has also been noted that the reference voltage on line 92 (or the signal rt~ C~"~i..g the sensed tPrmin~l voltage at junction 102) may be algebraically affected by the value of the charging current being fed to the rechargeable battery - or cell 74. That is the fim~tinn of the circuit 98.
S Here, a current sense line 128 leads from the negative side (in this case) of the output 72, which is r~mnPrtP~l also to the positive side of the current sensing shunt R5, through smoothing filter R15, C18, to an input of amplifier 130.
The gain of the ~mrlifiPr 130 is APtPrminP~ by the value of R16/R17. The output of the amplifier 130 is connprtp~l through R18 and jumper J2 to the junction 100 -- or, as suggested above, in some ~ ~.-rP~ to junction 102. In any event, the arrangement is such that, in its most simple embo~impnrJ the output of the amplifier 130 will swing from its highest value to its lowest value when the charging current being delivered to the rechargeable battery or ce~l 74 and as sensed by line 128, is within a predetPrmine~l range. For example, the output of amplifier 130 for a 10lS ampere charger may be at its highest value when the charging current is above 3 amperes, and at its lowest value when the charging current is below zero.
Moleov~, that output may swing ,c~ lly linearly over the prP~letPrmine~l range of current values.
It should also be noted that the presence of diode D14, when it is included, has the effect of limiting the range of operation of the circuit 98 to only those output voltages of ~mplifiPr 130 which are greater than the voltage at junction 100, (or at jnnrtio~ 102, as .iic~ .3.1 above). Thus, in the case shown in the circuit of Figure 8, ~mplifiPr 130 will e~e~Se linear control of the reference voltage on line 92 only when the charging current is below 3 amperes, and above 1 ampere. This allows for dy~lu~i~Le charge current COl~ I ;on over a wide variey of rechargeable cells and b~ttPriPc where the type of rechargeable battery or cell to be charged is specified for a particular charger circuit. Thus, specific values of components, as to their r. ~;~I .,,rP threshold voltages, etc., can be chosen.
Still further, it is noted that counter 132 can function as a timer. Its filnction is to provide a signal to junction 100 at the end of a pre~lptprrninprl charge period, whereby the value of the voltage refOEence on line 92 may be lowered. This is particularly useful when charging lead-acid batteries, whereby a slightly higher initial voltage during the fast charging portion at the bPginning of the charge circuit .4~3~ 3~ PCT/CA93/00290 may be followed by a lower float charge voltage.
Moreover, it is noted that l~trhing circuit 106 has an output on line 134 which goes to T.F.D 136. The T F.T~ 136 is a green LED, and its function is to provide a visual signal c~ r~ lg that the Plertrir~l charging circuits are worWng 5 and that charge current is being fed through the output circuit 72. The signal on line 134 is romrlPmpnt~Ty to the signal which is on line 108. If, for PY~mrlp~ there is a constant signal on line 108 because the state and ~nnrlition of the rechargeable battery or cell 74 is such that there is a rontinllnus charging current flowing to it, then line 108 is continuously high and the output to line 134 is rnntinl-ously low, 10 thereby p~ ,g T F.n 136 to be rontinl~nusly illnmin~tp~l On the other hand, as the output begins to regulate, so that the charge current begins to reduce due to the modulation of the power controller or switching illv~L~, then the illl~min~tion of LED 136 becomes ~liccor~ ous. With d~u~Liate values of other circuit components to adjust time cnnct~ntc~ and the like, the LED 136 will begin fl~ching lS at a visible rate.
Several other redLults ~lpmnnctrated in the typical charger circuit of Figure 8 require to be Aiccnccp-~l For ~oY~mpl~ it is noted that current sense line 128 goec not only to ~mrlifiP- 130, but also to amplifier 86. However, it has also been noted that the time COll:lLdll~ of the circuit C15, R40 is a fast time constant, 20 whereas the time ~c ,.cl;.,.~ of R34, C14 is a slow time ~'nll.~l,t..l Therefore, the operation of the controller 78 -- usually a pulse width modulated controller, asnoted -- can be controlled by the output of the l~trhing circuit 106 at any time that charge current is flowing to the output 72 and is sensed on the line 128; but that control is in keeping with the rnnrlitionc being sensed and controlled as a 25 consequence of the input to the Colll~ldldLUl 90, and its output, either as aconsequence of the value of the sPnced l~ .r~ free L~l...il.~l voltage as it is algebraically arrc.Lt d on line 92 or at junction 102 by the output of the L~..~d~ lre compPnC~tion circuits 96, the charge current comrPnc~tion circuit 98, or the u~e sensitive device 95.
;30 ~ mUI-e ~ F:~n~P, ~I~y ~ h~ arrangunen~ of ~n ~ddi~on~l r~i~ r RS1, which is shown as being an integral part of the intPrn~l structure of the rechargeable battery 74 (it is not relevant when a single ceIl is rnnnPrt~l across the output 72). This provides a means whereby the specific value of the reference :~ 1 4 4 3 3 6 voltage on line 92 may be matched at junction 102, as a consequence of the tPrmin~1 voltage of the battery 74 which is, itseIf, a consequence of the number of cells in the battery that are connected in series or in a series/parallel arrangement. In particular, it is appropriate for the value of the reference voltage on line 92 to be specific, that, for 5 there to be a particular reference voltage value per cell. Therefore, it is ap~lopliate for the charging circuit to have some means of det~rTninin~ how many cells there are in series, so as to set the output voltage accordingly.
This problem may come as a consequence of the requirement for a charging circuit of the present invention to charge battery packs for different kinds of 10 hand-held power tools, each of which may have a different voltage. Battery packs may also have different voltages for certain kinds of toys, camcorders, radio operated models of vehicles and vessels, etc. Very often, adjustment for various terminalvoltages of battery packs can be made by ch~n~in~ a switch setting on the charger, but if the switch is improperly set a dangerous overcharge condition may arise.
By the present invention, the provision of a resistor RS 1 within a battery pac~c is s~lffici~nt to provide ap~uLJlidL~ r~,""~lion to the charging circuit as to the voltage necessary to be delivered to the output 72. However, it must be noted that such battery chargers as are adapted to provide variable output voltage for battery pac3~s that have the resistor RS1 inst~1~e~ within them, do not have the voltage sense line 88 in 20 the manner as shown in Figure 8 in solid lines; rather, the voltage sense line is brolcen as at 140, and is piclced up on line 142. The resistor RS1 replaces the resistor PS
(shown in Figure 8), which must be deleted when resistor RSl is to be used.
The value of the resistor RSl which is within the battery pac~ is, theregore, a filn~;on of the number of cells that are in the rechargeable battery 74.
25 What that means is that a voltage drop occurs through the string RS1 and R25, so that the voltage at t~rmin~l 102 is essentially the equivalent of the single cell resistance free temlin~l voltage as discussed and contemplated above. For a battery having n cells, the resistanc_ of resistor RS 1 would be equal to (n-1) times the resistance of resistor R25.
Ordinary cornmercially available resistors are s~fficient to provide the voltages and 30 resistance string n~c~ry, and it is usual to utilize semi-AMElyD~D S~EET

.. , = :

-WO 94/07294 ~ $ -32- PCT/CA93/00290 precision lcaiaLul~ that have a rPcict~nrp accuracy of about 1% of rated value. There is an inherent fail safe characteristic, because if the line 142 should fail for some reason, the charger will sense a rominllously low or zero voltage, and in keeping with other features discussed h~afL~, it will alarm and turn off.
Obviously, the operation of the circuit of Figure 8 can be dependent upon a number of factors, and the fine control of the circuits may be as a consequence of certain ~lup~Lies of the rechargeable battery or cell being sensed --notably, its intem~l Lclll,u~dLusc:, the charge current being delivered to it, or its intPm~l pltaaulc -- or changes in those l,lup~Lies being sensed. Specifically, changes in either the internal temperature or the intem~ll pressure of the rechargeable battery or cell being charged may affect the operation of the charger, such that the charge current being delivered to the rechargeable battery or cell 74 may be altered, or the charging operation tPmnin~tP-l Such changes may be as a consequence of there having been a predetPmnine~l increase of the internal 1~ temperature of the rechargeable battery or cell being sensed, or a predetPrmined increase of the intpm~l ~ul~ aaLUe being sensed; or even upon a predPtPmninPd absolute t~.p~-aL-~e Or a pren~ ;..ed ~hsoi~lte intPm~ aau~e of the rechargeable battery or cell being re~rhP-l Figures 9 (a), (b~ and (c), are provided to show the effects of various 20 reference voltages as they change in time, and to show the various effects that the rh~nging reference voltage has on the charging current where the charging current is in the mode that it is being reduced from below a m;~ Y ;~ charging current in kf-Pping with the state of charge acct~ ce capabiliy of the rechargeable battery or cell being charged. Each of Figures 9~a~, 9(b) and 9(c), is a family of three curves:
25 the principle curve is a curve showing the variation of charge current with time;
beside the prinriple curve is a curve showing the rommPncllrate change of reference voltage and its rPl~tionchip to the charge current; and the third curve is below the principle curve and shows the change of the reference voltage with time. Obviously, the scale of current is the same in the princirle curve and the curve to its side, and 30 the scale of tirne is the same in the prinrirl~ curve and the curve below it.Figure 9(a) shows a charge current cun e 150, and two curves 152 and 154 showing the relation of the reference voltage against current in curve 152, and of the reference voltage against time in curve 154. The charge current in curve 150 =

WO 94/07294 33_ 2 1 4 ~ 3 3 6 PCT/CA93/00290 begins as a ronct~nt current, and then reduces to a particular value, shown at 156, at which time the reference voltage in curve 152 and 154 begins to change until a further value at 158 is reac:hed, at which time the reference voltage in curve 152 and 154 reached its lower value. If the reference voltage had not altered at a 5 charge current value shown at 156, the charge current would have continlle~l to follow the curve as shown at 160; and if the reference voltage had been at the level that it adopted at the charge current value shown at 158~ the charge current would have followed the curve 162.
Figure 9(b), on the other hand, shows the situation where the gain of 10 the ~mplifiPr 130 has been reduced, so that the effect on the reference voltage on line 92 changes gradually from its higher to its lower value as the charge current varies from its full value to zero. Thus, the charge current in curve 164 remains constant at a value shown at 166 until such time as charge current regulation begins. At that time, the reference voltage as shown in curYes 168 and 170 begins 15 to decrease; it being noted that the charge current reduces from the ,...x;,....,.. value shown at 166 at the same time that the reference voltage in curve 170 begins to decrease.
Having regard to Figure 9(c), a stepwise change in the reference voltage is shown. Here, the charge current in curve 174 follows the same general20 pattern as suggested in curve 150 of Figure 9(a), except that at a specific instant in tirne in~lir~ted at 174 there is a stepwise change in the value of the referencevoltage as shown in curves 176 arld 178. The stepwise change which may occur may be as the result of the charge current having reached a particular current threshold as shown at value 180, or as a consequence of the timer having timed out 25 a pre~el~-,--;,-Pd charging period. The aLe~vvi-e change in the reference voltage will generally cause a ~icc-~..l ;....;ly of the charge current, as shown at the blip 182.
Otherwise, the ~i~.C~ y in charge current may be followed by l~:~uve~,y as in-lir~te~l in Figure 9(c~; and in any event it will be noted that the charge current after the blip 182 follows the lower curve similar to curve 16Z in Figure 9(a).
Obviously, the practioe of varying the reference voltage as the charging process is rr.~ g is one of rnn~i~Prable ~ u~Ldllce, partictllarly so as to preclude t-h-e possibility of thf~m~l runaway in nickel r~rlmil~m cells, as well as for optimization of the charging cycle. O~l;,..i, ~l;nn results in lower energy WO 94/07294 ~ 4~3~ -34- PCI/CA93/00290 requirements and therefore higher energy PffiriPncy~ and will itself preclude nnnP~P~ or p~ ,e~ l;v~ly harmhll damage to the rechargeable battery or cell as aconsequence of overcharging, and the like.
The Methods of the Present Invention:
s The present invention provides several mPthn~lc for t~rmin~ting the finiching charge while recharging rechargeable b~ttPri~s and cells. The first few steps of the differing methods are s~h~i,,..l ;~lly cullsl~lL in all events, and comprise the following steps:
(a) providing an electrical charging current from a source thereof, such as source 70, to an output 72 across which a rechargeable batte~y or cell 74 may be rnnnPrtp~;
(b) periodically u~L~lu~L~lg the flow of electrical charging current under the operation of the controller 78, and r~ ; ,g the rpcict~n~e free tPrmin~l voltage of the rechargeable battery or cell 74 being recharged. The detP rnin~tion of the rpcict~nrp free tPnnin~l voltage is made during the interval when the flow of PlPrtnr~l charging current has been L~L~luyLt:d. The sensed rPcict~nre free voltage is colll~cued at co~ ~dLor 90 with a reference voltage which is independent of the rechargeable battery or cell 74;
(c) for a fixed and predetp~ninp~l period of time, the electrical charging current is deLv~.~ d to the output 72 at the lesser of a predetPrmin~-lm;lx;...~.... current value, or the ability of the rechargeable battery or cell 74 to accept a charging current. Thus, in the cirolmct~nrp where the rechargeable battery or cell 74 has a greater abui~r to accept electrical charging current than is the m;,x; .. - prprlptp~nirled current value, the plpctrir~l charging current is delivered to the output 72 at a rnnct~nt value which is equal to the .. ,,x;....... current value allowed by the l.L~U~;,._L, following the fiL~L fixed period of time noted above, the f lP~Tir~l charging current continues to be delivered to the output at the .. ,,x;.. .., value for a 30 second variable time period. However, that second variable time period lasts only for so loug as the sensed rpcic~nrp free voltage of the rechargeable batte~y or cell 74 is less than the in-lepPnrlPnt reference voltage. Thus, the second variable time period ends at the first inct~nrP when the sensed rPcict~ncp free voltage reaches the WO 94/07294 3~ ~i 4 ~ 3 3 6 PCT/CA93/00290 same value as the independent reference voltage. At that time, the electrical charging current is pPrmitt~rl to reduce, continually or stepwise, in such a manner that the sensed r~cict~ncP free voltage and the independent reference voltage remain at the same value.
Several optional procedures exist at this stage:
In the first inct~nrP a timer may be operated from the beginning of the charge ycle so tnat, following a third pre~letP~ninP-l period of time measured from the bPginning of the charge cycle, the electrical charging current is reduced to a trickle current in the event that the charge current is still at itc m~l~imIlm value.
Moreover, a timer can also be operated from the begirming of the charge cyde so that at the end of a fourth predel~ ,..i..ed period of time which follows the instant when the electrical charging current has begun to be reduced, the electrical charging current is forcibly altered to a predPt~rminel1 value of from zero to a pred~tPrmine~l lower charging current which is below the m;-Y;, -Il,-, current value. That value may 15 be a trickle charge, or a finiching charge as ~iiccllccpci hereafter.
In the ~ rl 11~ l ive~ during the period of time which follows the second variable time period and while the Plprtrir~l charging current is pf~rmitte~1 to reduce, the value of the charging current r~n be ~o~ lIy s~mrlPd on a periodic basis andcompared with the value of the electrical charging current at at least a prior 20 sampling thereof. In that case, when an increase of the ele-;L,ical charging current has been sensed, the control circuit means are operated so as to force the electrical charging current to rnntin~le to reduce.
To illustrate the above, reference is now made to Figures 10, 11, and 12. Figure lO shows a farnily of typical charging curves for battery packs having 25 various ~ ;I;Pc, all charged with an identical ". .xi".""- current. Figure 11 is a curve whidl shows charging current again-ct time, with certain prefi~pterminpcl periods from the beginning of the charge cyde being inrlir~tPd Fis~ure 12 is a St2tP
diagram which co-relates the various time periods and states of charge that might occur, or the fault conr1ihr~nc that might occur, during charging of a battery, with 30 reference to the time periods that are shown in Figure 11.
First, with reference to Figure 10, a family of typical curves is shown.
Here, various r~r~ritiPc of battery packs ranging from 600 mAh to 2500 mAh, are shown. Each is ~c~cllmP~l to be charged with circuits and mPtho~lc according to the ~ ~ ~ -- ~ -- o ç ~ ~ q ~ ~
~ ~ /S 1 Ç ,5 ~ Ç
.r . . ~ ~ - --- . O ; 5 0 ,~ ç
O ~ q Ç q o o ~ ~ Ç
4 4 ~ 36- PC-4io9/PC~

~J present invention, and with a peak current at about 7.5 amperes, as shown at 190.
Curve 192 is for a battery pac~ having a capacity of 600 mAh, curve 194 is for abattery pack having a capacity of 1000 mAh, curve 196 is for a battery pack having a capacity of 2000 mAh, and curve 198 is for a battery pac~ having a capacity of 2500 S mAh. There is, very clearIy, a sirnilarity of appearance among the curves. However, the curves also show that a f~ed timing period of 20 minutes is just sufflcient, under ideal conditions, for a battery pac~ having a capacity of about 1800 mAH to 2500mAh; and far too long for a battery paclc having a capacity of 500 mAh or 600 mAh up to about 1000 mAh or 1200 mAh Obviously, it is the best practice to terminate the 10 charge cycle as soon as practicable so as to preclude thermal runaway, and so as to provide a signal to the user that the battery pacl~ has been charged.
Thus, a cycle of variable total length is proposed, consisting of a period of con~t~nt current, the length of which is det~rmin~ by the ability of the battery pack to accept charging current under the con~ihon~ when the sensed reci~t~nre free voltage 15 is equal to the independent ~ e~c~ fres voltage. That cycle may last for 8 to 10 mimlt~-S
Referring to Figure 11, however, the detail is now provided. First, the time period T1 is for a fL~ed period of time, and l~ A~s at time t~. The charging current shown in curve 200 is p~rmitt~ to rise to its l,,~Y ;" .. during period T1 20 (which, for purposes of the present ~ c~ssion is ~ss-lmed to include the time period T4) and reaches a predet~rmined .~ , current value if the battery will accept current at that value, as noted above. ~ss--min~ that it does, a second variable time period T2 contin~l~s with delivery of charging current at the l"~i"..l"l value for so long as the sensed resi~t~n~e free voltage is less than the independent reference voltage. T2 is 25 t~ ~ at time t3. Thereafter, the electrical charging current is p~rmitted to reduce as shown at 202 in such a manner that the sensed rPsi~t~n~ e free voltage and the independent reference voltage remain at the same value, as discussed above.
In the first option described above, a timer is operated from the beginninsg of the charge cycle so that at the end of a pred~t~rmined period of time AMENOED SHEET

, . . .

'~ 7 5 7 , Z ., C, ~ ~ Z Z o 7 Z ,. ., ', "z r~ ~ Z Z ~ e ... , ~ ~ -7 . r, r, Z ~ ~; C r, r. ~ C ~: r, ~ ~ -2 1 4 4 3 3 ~ i -37 ~ s ,Z, ~ ' ~ z PC-4109/PCT

~,~ T3, at time t" if the charge current is still at its ",~i"""" value as indicated at 204, the electrical charging current i/s reduced to a triclde current as in~iic~ted at 206.
At the same time, however, if the charge current follows curve 202, at the end of a fourth predeterrnine~l period of time which occurs at time t~, which follows 5 from time t3 by a predetermin~d period of time, the charging current may then be forcibly altered to a preiet~rmin~-d value. That value may be 0, or it may be a triclcle current, or a fini~hina charge current as is discussed hereafter.
The other option following step (c) as discussed above, is discussed in greater detail hereafter with reference to Figure 13.
1a Still further, the methods of the present invention contemplate that the internal pies:~ LLe of the rechargeable battery or cell being charged may be monitored.
Thus, the operation of the charger may be altered, or the charging terTnin,1t~, upon a ~lP~ ;on of there having been a predetRrmined increase of the internal temperature or the interna~ p.es~ule of the rechargeable battery or cell being charged; or upon a 15 condition arising where a predeterTnined absolute internal temperature or a predetRrrnined absolute pLeS;:~ULe of the rechargeable battery or cell being charged, is reached During the period of time that the charging cycle continues, the rechargeable battery or cell is constantly LuoL~iLoled to deterrnin~ if the cell or at least 20 one cell in the battery being recharged is faulty. That lu~ iLoLillg is carried out by a d~ ion of the sensed rPsist~nce free voltage, and a delP. Illil~l ion if the sensed resict~nce free voltage suddenly alters from its previous value. That dele"~ ion is ~ made by the COLUydLdL~;)f 91 as described above; or such other means as may be provided to send an e~plicit faulty cell signal. In any event, when a faulty cell is 25 cletPcted by wLaL~Y~,r method, obviously a fault has occurred, and the electrical charging current is i~L~Ll~ discontinued and an alarm signal is given to that effect.
However, it may be that it is a~ yLiate for the faulty cell testing to be inhibited for a first pre~Pte~mined period of time T4, which is shorter than the first fixed period of time T1. That permits certain electrochemical settling to occur in the 30 cell or battery when it is first connected to the charger, especially if the cell or battery is cold, or deeply discharged.
Reference is now made to Figure 12, where values are shown that are AMENDED SffEEJ

3 o zj ~5 q q ~c 5 " ~ " ~ _ " , particularly intended for a charger having a m~Yimllm current of 7.5 arnperes, and ' inten~le~l to charge battery packs having capacities ranging from 600 mAh up to 2500 mAh, as discussed in association with Figure 10. When the power is turned on from its off status as shown at 210, the pretest period T4 at 212 exits for 37 seconds. The 5 charger then does to the status of period T1; and at time t~ which occurs at 150 seconds, period T1 as shown at 214 terminates. If a fault is ~let~ct~, as shown at line 216, an alarm status as at 218 is entered, and the charging cycle is t~njn~te~i However, the charger itself is not turned off, requiring a manual operation as shown at 220.
In the normal course of events, period T2 is now entered, and for niclcel c~-lmi--m batteries having capacities in the range of 600 mAh to 1000 mAh, a maximum charging current in the order of about 7.5 amperes, and a recisr~nce free charging voltage being in the range of about 1.3 to 1.5 volts per cell, the time period T2 l~. ,,,i,l,.les at time t3 no more than about 8 or 10 minutes from the beginning of the 15 charging cycle. For nickel c~flmillm batteries or cells having capacities in the range of 2000 mAh to 2500 mAh, and similar charging current and charging voltage values as discussed above, the time period T2 ends at time t3 no more than about 15 or 20 minutes from the beginning of the charging cycle. Time period T2 is shown at 220.
Here, at time t~, several options might occur. If a fault is sensed, then the alarm status 20 218 is entered. The variable time period T2 as shown at 222 occurs for so long as the full charge current is delivered--in other words, for so long as the sensed recict~nre free voltage is less than the reference voltage. That period ends with the equality of the ~ sensed ~ e free voltage and the reference voltage. Then, the charging current follows curve 202 from Figure 11, status 224 in Figure 12, te~nin~ting at time t~.
25 However, at time tl, at the end of time period T3 as at 226, if the charge current is still at its ,,.,.~i,,,lllll value as at 204, it is imm~li~tPly reduced to a trickle value as at 206.
Then, following time t~, a beeper stage 228 is re~ched where an audible alarm issounded to alert the user that the charge is complete. Likewise, as shown on line 230, at the end of 1200 seconds form the beginnin~ of the cycle, if the current rern~ined at 30 its ,,,,.~i,,,,l.,, value, the beeper stage 228 is reached.
Referring now to Figure 13, one further feature is discussed. Here, a family of char~Je current curves is shown, where one of them shows the condition AMEND~D SI~EE~

WO 94/07294 -3~2144 3~=6 ~ PCT/CA93/00290 when th~rm~1 runaway may occur. Curves 240 and 242 show the conditions where a norrnal reduction in charging current with time occurs. However, if the temperature of the rechargeable battery or cell increases, the charging current may follow the curve 244 in the m~nnPr ~iccl1cce~l above. In that case, the charging5 current begins to increase once again, even though the condition of the sensedterminal free voltage being equal to the reference voltage may stiIl apply.
Figure 14 shows an option whereby thPrm~l runaway may be precluded. During the period of tirne that the electrical charging current is permitted to reduce, the value of the PlPrrrjr~l charging current may be conct~ntly 10 s~mple-l on a periodic basis and cc,ll~dltd with the value of the electrical charging current at at least a prior c~mpling thereof. This may be arromrlichlorl e.g., by a digitally controlled s~mpling circuit, or by a simple analog circuit monitoring the value of the first d~ivdLivt: of the current value, specifically flPcign~trd as a nvalley detectorn.
When, as in the case of curve 246, an increase of the ~ ortrir~l charging current is sensed, control circuit means take over and force the electrical charging current to romin~le to reduce as shown at 248. If the charging current were ~ d to conhnllP at the value shown in 250, thPrm~l runaway would be precluded, but a high residual current is fed to the rechargeable battery or cell, and that is not nfr~ --y. Likewise, the ~lPrtrir~l charging current may be reduced in the controlled manner as shown by curves 252 and 254, where the slopes of those curves are chosen dlbi~ldlily, but more or less d~lu~ e the ~nhrip~tefl charge acceptance curve of a particular or specific battery or cell being charged. Mol~:uv~, referring to Figure 15, which ic a v~ri~tion of E:igure 11, forced current reduction in curve 260 rather than as at curve 262 may be chosen, if it is ~letPrmin~d that for the particular battery or cell being rh~rged~ an acceptable state of charge wiIl still be reached in an acceptably short period of time.
Referring now to Figure 16, a specific criterion to preclude thPrm~t runaway is illustrated. Here, the charge current as shown at curve 264 is pf~rmito reach a so-calIed current valley as inrtir~tprl at 266; but if a current increase of a pre~l~tPrminPd m~gninlde shown at ~I~ ancl inflir~tPr~ at 268, is dPtPCtpft~ then at that point the current is forced to reduce to a trickle charge as shown at 270.
,~ltPrn~nively, the charging current may be forced to reduce to zero.

WO 94/07294 2i~3~ ~ PCT/CA93/00290 Finally, the concept of a finiching current for rechargeable batteries or cells is llicrllccP~l with reference to Figure 17.
It must be noted that certain cirrnmct~ncps arise where a rechargeable battery or cell will not be ~hSOlt~t~ly 100% fully charged if the final charging current 5 reduces to a trickle current. Theoretically, a single cell -- especially such a cell as a high rate nickel r~imillm cell which has rolled electrodes -- may be considered tO be an infinite number of cells that are arranged in parallel one with another.
FccPnti~lly, that means that the voltage between the electrodes at a ~lict~ncp from the portion of the electrodes where the current rnnnPctionc are made to them, may l0 differ very slightly than the voltage between the electrodes at the point where the current rnnnPehons are made to them -- which is the same point where the rPcict~nre free tPrmin~l voltage is sensed. It has been found, however, that providing a finiching charge at a current value of between about 0.5C and 3C, will charge the battery or ce to a full 100% of its charge capacity in a short time. This 15 is also especially true in the case of vented lead-acid b~ttPriPc~ where there is a sl-hst~nti~l volume of free electrolyte which floods and covers the plates of the cells in the battery.
The present invention thereby provides for a predetP-mined finiching charge current value to be fed to the rechargeable battery or cell being charged, at a 20 point in time near the end of the charge cycle. That point in time is det~minP~i as being the instant when the charging current reaches the value of the predetP~mined fini~hing charge. Then, a further charge period of conct~nt current charging at the predetPrmine~l finiching charge current value is initi~t~rl There are various methods co"t~",~ t~d herein for ~ "";,.i"g the tPrmin~tion point of the finiching charge2~ period.
One such mpthr)d is by t1Pt~rmining either a further predetPrminP-l period of time measured from the be~;""illg of the charge cycle has expired, or when the sensed rpcict~n~p free voltage of the rechargeable battery or cell being charged has increased above the value of the independent reference voltage by a 30 predet~rrnine~ amount. This is P~l~ine~ by reference to Figure 17.
The major portion of Figure 17 rpplir~tpc Figure 11, and the same dPcign~tlons and reference ~ S are applied. However, it will be noted that there is also a co-relation of the tPrmin~l voltage and the r~ ,."rP free voltage, in -WO 94/07294 ~ 1 4 4 3 3 6 PCT/CA93/00290 the sarne time scale. Curve 280 shows the rPCict~nce free voltage rising until the tirne t3, at which point it bernmPc sllhc~ lly collsLdnt as shown at 282. It will be noted that the tPrmin~l voltage 284 of the cell rises with the r~C;~I ,,.cP free voltage until the time t3, and the difference between those voltages as shown at 286 rernains S constant until tirne t3, because the current in the cell is rnn~nt as at 200. Then, as shown at curve 202, the current reduces, and therefore the tPrmin~l voltage of the cell reduces as at 288. As the current 202 reduces to the finiching charge valueshown at 290, and intpncpctc that value, it then assumes the new ror~ct~nt current charging at the finiching charge current value. It will be noted that the resistance free voltage ror~tinllPc to remain cnrlct~nt until the lapse of a certain period of tirne which is dependent upon the battery or cell being charged, but which is near theend of the charge ycle, and then the rPcict~nre free voltage and the tPrrnin~l voltage begin to rise again as shown at 292 and 294. Once again the difference between those voltages is constant, but is lower in absolute value, because the finiching charge current is lower than the initial m~imllm charge current. When the ~ .re free voltage increases by a value shown at 296, the finiching charge current is tprmin~te~l Otherwise, the finiching charge current may continue if the l~isLdllce free voltage does not follow the curve 292 until a further predPt~rrnine~
period of time torrF~ as shown at 298, is reached.
The V,~ curve of Fig. 17 shows a typical second rise at 292 (after the first rise 280), followed by a voltage plateau 297a or voltage peak 295a. The rise in the voltage curve at 292 is char~rtpri7pfl by an inflPrtion point 292a, the point at which the rate of voltage increase begins to decrease. In other words, the inflprtion point 29Za is the point at which the d~ivd~ive of Vr~" with respect to tirne is at a I--,-Y;I~ I-- Similarly, the voltage plateau 297a and voltage peak 295a may be located. To perform these u~dLiullS, the rl~impcl device may contain a means forcompiling data such as values for VRP at time t, and means for processing the data to locate the infler~-on point, voltage peak or voltage pl~te~tl A ~leÇcllt:d embodiment would comprise a microprocessor for compiling and processing the data, and locating the char~rtPrictir change points by r~lrnl~ting the delivdLivè curves and locating the m~srimnm descnbed above. The battery charger would then tPrrnin~P
the finiching charge when at least one of the char~rtPrictic~oints has been located.
~ltern~tively, turo other prernnriitinns with respect to the sensed WO 94/07294 ~,~g 6 PCT/CA93/00290 rPcict~nre free voltage might also be rietprminprl as being c~iteria to tPrrnin~rP the finiching charge current. They are a ~lptptmin~tion that the l~ ce free voltage begins to decrease, in the m~nnPr as shown at 295 in Figure 17, or if the sensedrPcict~n~e free voltage no longer rnnhntlPc to increase but remains constant in the S manner as shown at 297. In either of those further inct~nr~c, as well as the con-lition noted above when the ~ ,...ce free voltage increases by a predPtPrrninecl amount, the finiching charge current may be tPrmin~tPfl and thOEeby avoid any cignifir~nt uvel~L~y,e rnnrlitinn of the rechargeable battery or cell being charged.
As a further embodiment, the charger may be equipped with an 10 arnpere-hour (Ah) counter. The ~uullLel will record the total charge delivered to the battery or ceIl during a 5PlPrtP~l period of time. The cûll,.t~ rnay be coordinated via a microprocessor so as to l~.,..i..~l~ the finiching charge when a certain prPcPlertPr value of total current delivered during a set time has been reached.
For example, certain battery m~nnf~ re5 prescribe a certain total Ah 15 charge for the saturation or finiching charge. The microprocessor would then be set with this Ah value measured from either toN or t~, as shown in Fig. 11. The microprocessor would then ~n,.. ~ .ir~tP a signal so as to tPrmin~tP the finiching charge.
In ~A~i~isn~ the Ah Cu~ Lel may be coordinated with the 20 microprocessor so as to measure total charge delivered from the point of voltage peak or plateau as described above. This method is particularly advantageous when used with charging vented lead-acid b~ iP~
A still further embo~iimpnt of the invention relies on a relationship between the time t4-t3 and toF"-t4. With reference to Fig. 11, the illvel~Lui~ have 25 found that the dllr~t~nn of the de~ g current charge at T3, i.e. t"-t3, depends on the construction and cnnt1itinn of the battery, the prf cplp~ tpd value of reference voltage, and battery Le ll~uelc~Lule. Further, it has been found that a battP~y with a steeper slope for the T3 cu~ve Sf~ l, i.e. a shorter T3 time SPgmPnt~ requires arelatively short finiching charge. For b~ttPriPc with a less sloped curve, a relatively 30 longer finiching charge is nppclp i In a specLfic Py~mplp~ it was shown that where a charger was set with a finiching current equal to about 20% of the initial high rate charging current, good results were obtained when finiching time toEF-t4 was seta~,uluxll~ ly equal to t4-t3 over a wide range of cell r~r~itiPC Naturally, a WO 94/07294 214 4 ~ ~ 6 PCT/CA93/00290 different ratio of the two time sPgTnPntc may be used under differing conditions, e.g.
different ratios of initial and finiching current, and different classes of batteries.
Accordingly, a microprocessor rnay be employed in coor~iin~t nn with a timing means to record the time t4-t3 and set the finiching time as a function thereof.S Obviously, the mPtho~lC and imposition of the finiching charge current as shown in Figure 17, may be imposed as well in the event that the charge current shows a tPn-lPnry to increase, as in~iirAtP-l at 300.
An embo~;imPnt incorporating an i~ uvt:d method for measuring the rPcictAnre free voltage during the current interruption will now be described. The charging method described in the Europ. Patent Appln. 311,460 uses a constant, pred~(r, . ,-i..Pd value of reference voltage V,~EP to permit charging as close to the m;1x;lllllll~ rate as possible without causirlg cignifi~Ant overcharging. In most cases it is easy to select a suitable value for a given battery and to use temperature compPncAhon to insure that a proper value is used at temp~clLu~ s~-hst~nhi~lly 1~ different than ambient. For PYAmrlP~ battery packs may contain the nerP~ .,y informAhon to set the V"~ ~o~ Lly for packs with different m~mhPrc of cells.
However, there are also small differences between cells of the same size produced by different mAnnf~r~lrers, which result in slightly different requirements with respect to V~EF. This is particularly illl~ulL~lt in sealed NiCd cells, which often differ in the design of the negative electrode and therefore have a different ability to recombine oxygen with the cadmium. Recombination of oxygen causes depolarization of the ~osiLi~ electrode and therefore contributes to the cell voltage decay after the opening of the charging circuit. Figures 18A and 19A show fAmiliPc of voltage decay curves (taken every 10 secnnflc~ but plotted only every 2 min) during 500 msec i lL~luyLions of 5A (8C) charging current passing through commPrcial AA NiCd cells produced by two different mAmlf~hlrers and ~iPcign as X and Y. ~ g the initial decay curves, taken before any overcharge re~rtirJnC are taking place, it can be seen that for both cells there is an initial sharp drop, co~ ollding to the IR portion of the voltage and to P~ Al decay 30 phPnomPnA with very short time ~O~I l The rPmAining portion of each 500 msec long decay curve is fairly flat, cu~ onding to processes with fairly long time constant, like charge equilibration within the active mass.
Looking now at the decay curves taken after the initial 4 ~ luLes, ~ ~ 4~6 ~

which reflect increasing degree of overcharge reactions taking place in parallel with the charging reacdon, a third rate process with an intP~n~ tP dme constant is seen, which causes most of the curvature during the first half of the voltage decay intervals. This is caused by the onset of an increasing degree of oxygen production 5 by the overcharge rP~rtinriJ causing the potential to increase signifir~ntly during the current-on periods. During the current-off period the oxygen is being consumed ~recombined) and the potendal falls off as rapidly as the recombination reactionpermits. The rate of oxygen co~ ;nrl~/recombination is strongly catalysed by the presence of nickel or other catalysts in the electrodes and will dherefore differ from 10 cell to cell based on the cell design.
The cell X in figure 18A shows relatively poor catalysis for oxygen consumption and consequendy shows ~ignifir~nt potential increase during the initial part of the decay curve, .ull~cued to much more catalysed cell Y in Figure 19A.
Consequently, cell X will require slighdy higher V,~, to be charged with the same 15 small degree of overcharge (e.g. 3% of total current) as cell Y. Conversely, if the same V,u~, is used for both cells, ce X will be charged at lower than optimal rate or cell Y will be charged too fast, allowing too much uv~-Lcllc~,e.
Previously, short current-off intervals were used and the rPci~t~nrP-free voltages were s~mplPrl only several rnsec after il-Le~Lu~L~lg the current. It has now 20 been discuv~t:d that dhe problem of differing cell design can be greatly reduced by P~tPn~ling the current-off periods 5llhst~nh~lly~ so that the rp~ict~nce free voltage can be s~mplP~l after the ir~itial oxygen decay has been crmrlPte~l, i.e. 100-5ûû msec after each current i~lLe~u~Lion~ l~is is clearly visible by ~ '""l"" ;~g Figures 18B and 19B, where the ~ ..lrP free voltages s~mrl~l at short and long intervals after current ~lL~u~Lions are plotterl While there is ~ignifir~nt difference between the corresponding curves taken at 15 rnsec interv-als, the difference between the curves taken at 495 msec intervals is much less.
Therefore, the ~P.r~,",. .,.re of existing charging ay~L~IlS is much vt:d by using l~ rP free voltage ~mplP-l at 50-1000 mSec and preferably 100-500 msec, whe~eby the infltlpnre of cell design on charger perform~ncp is much reduced.
In a ~.~.ed Pmho-linnPnt, the above is incu~o.c Led as an PlrmPnt in one of the several embo-limPT1t~ of a charger described in this application.

~ 45 2 1 ~ 4 ~ ~ 6 ~ r It should be clear that the mPthn~lc of the present invention, and indeed the circuits of the present invention, may be accomplichP-l by adopting the use of d,U~lU~lidtt: solid state devices. For PyAmrl~, a pro~d~l~lldble logic array, a mdcrocontroller, a single chip m-i~ocolll~lL~ or an applirAtinn specific illLt:~ldLed S circuit might control the operation of the circuits so as to permit alternative controls and to permit variable reference voltage control -- where the value of the variable reference voltage is a fimrtion of a plUp~Ly such as the intPrnAl L~l.~eldLLlre or the intPrnAl ,u~ e of the rechargeable battery or cell being charged. Thus, the various charge charArtPrictirc, particularly as ~licc-lcce-l with reference to Figures 9 I0 through 17 described above, may be accomplished by adopting such solid state devices as noted imme~iAtPly above.
There has been described ~ c~ l ivt: circuits and various AltPrnAtive embo~limpntc thereof, whereby very fast charging operation of rechargeable batteries and cells may be effected. A number of different but related 15 methods, all having regard to the manner of operation of the circuits of the present invention, have aLco been described.

Claims (20)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A method of recharging rechargeable batteries and cells, comprising the steps of:
(a) providing an electrical charging current from a source thereof to an output across which a rechargeable battery or cell may be connected;
(b) periodically interrupting the flow of electrical charging current to said output and determining the resistance free terminal voltage of the rechargeable battery or cell being recharged during the interval when said flow of electrical charging current has been interrupted, and comparing the sensed resistance free voltage with a reference voltage independent of the rechargeable battery or cell being recharged;
(c) wherein for a first fixed and predetermined period of time, said electrical charging current is delivered to said output at the lesser of either a predetermined maximum current value or a current which said rechargeable battery or cell can accept without any substantial rise in its internal temperature;
and wherein following said first fixed period of time said electrical charging current continues to be delivered to said output at said maximum value for a second variable time period which exists for so long as said sensed resistance free voltage of the rechargeable battery or cell - 46a -being recharged is less than said independent reference voltage, whereby said second variable time period is terminated at the first instance when said sensed resistance free voltage reaches the same value as said independent reference voltage, and said electrical charging current is permitted to reduce in such a manner that the sensed resistance free voltage does not exceed said independent reference voltage;
(d) operating a timer from the beginning of the charge cycle so that (1) following a third predetermined period of time from the beginning of the charge cycle, the electrical charging current is reduced to a predetermined value of from zero to a predetermined low charging current in the event that the charge current is still at said maximum value; and (2) at the end of a fourth predetermined period of time which follows the instant when the electrical charging current begins to be reduced, the electrical charging current is forcibly altered to a predetermined value of finishing charge current of from zero to a predetermined low charging current which is below said predetermined maximum current value; and (e) operating means for terminating the finishing charge:
wherein the means of step (e) comprises a means for measuring the value of total charge delivered to the battery or cell, and wherein the finishing charge is terminated when a predetermined value of total charge delivered has been reached.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the means of step (e) comprises a timing means, and wherein the finishing charge is terminated at the end of a fifth predetermined period of time measured from the beginning of the fourth period of time, the fifth period of time being a function of the difference between the end of the second period of time and the beginning of the fourth period of time.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the finishing charge current is about 20% of the value of the electrical charging current in step (a), and the fifth period of time is approximately equal to the difference between the end of the second period of time and the beginning of the fourth period of time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the value of total charge delivered is measured from the beginning of the first period of time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the value of charge delivered is measured from the beginning of the fourth period of time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the means of step (e) comprises a means for detecting changes in the resistance free voltage with respect to time during step (d)(1), and wherein the finishing charge is terminated when said means detects a change in the resistance free voltage which is characteristic of the onset of overcharge.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the finishing charge is terminated when either of a voltage peak or a voltage plateau in said finishing charge is detected.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the finishing charge is terminated when a second inflection point in said finishing charge is detected.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising operating a processing means, wherein said processing means compiles data for values of resistance free voltage with respect to time, and locates said second inflection point by computing the maximum of the first derivative of resistance free voltage with respect to time.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising operating a means for measuring the value of total charge delivered to the battery or cell, wherein the - 47a -finishing charge is terminated when a predetermined value of charge delivered has been reached, and wherein said predetermined value of charge being measured is measured from when said second inflection point has been detected.

11. A charger for recharging rechargeable batteries and cells, comprising:
(a) means for providing an electrical charging current from a source thereof to an output across which a rechargeable battery or cell may be connected;
b) means for periodically interrupting the flow of electrical charging current to said output and determining the resistance free terminal voltage of the rechargeable battery or cell being recharged during the interval when said flow of electrical charging current has been interrupted, and comparing the sensed resistance free voltage with a reference voltage independent of the rechargeable battery or cell being recharged;
(c) wherein for a first fixed and predetermined period of time, said electrical charging current is delivered to said output at the lesser of either a predetermined maximum current value or a current which said rechargeable battery or cell can accept without any substantial rise in its internal temperature;
and wherein following said first fixed period of time said electrical charging current continues to be delivered to said output at said maximum value for a second variable time period which exists for so long as said sensed resistance free voltage of the rechargeable battery or cell being recharged is less than said independent reference voltage, whereby said second variable time period is terminated at the first instance when said sensed resistance free voltage reaches the same value as said independent reference voltage, and said electrical charging current is permitted to reduce in such a manner that the sensed resistance free voltage does not exceed said independent reference voltage;
(d) a timing means which operates from the beginning of the charge cycle so that (1) following a third predetermined period of time from the beginning of the charge cycle, the electrical charging current is reduced to a predetermined value of from zero to a predetermined low charging current in the event that the charge current is still at said maximum value; and (2) at the end of a fourth predetermined period of time which follows the instant when the electrical charging current begins to be reduced, the electrical charging current is forcibly altered to a predetermined value of finishing charge current of from zero to a predetermined low charging current which is below said predetermined maximum current value; and (e) a means for terminating the finishing charge:
wherein the means for terminating the finishing charge comprises a means for measuring the value of total charge delivered to the battery or cell, and means for terminating the finishing charge when a predetermined value of total charge delivered has been reached.

12. The charger of claim 11, wherein the means for terminating the finishing charge comprises a timing means, whereby the finishing charge may be terminated at the end of a fifth predetermined period of time measured from the beginning of the fourth period of time, the fifth period of time being a function of the difference between the end of the second period of time and the beginning of the fourth period of time.

13. The charger of claim 12, wherein the finishing charge current is about 20% of the value of the electrical charging current provided from the source thereof, and the fifth period of time is approximately equal to the difference between the end of the second period of time and the beginning of the fourth period of time.

14. The charger of claim 11, comprising means for measuring the value of total charge delivered from the beginning of the first period of time.

15. The charger of claim 11, comprising means for measuring the total charge value from the beginning of the fourth period of time.

16. The charger of claim 11, wherein the means (c) for terminating the finishing charge comprises detecting means for detecting changes in the resistance free voltage with respect to time during step (d) (1), and further comprising means for terminating the finishing charge when said detecting means detects a change in the resistance free voltage which is characteristic of the onset of overcharge.

17. The charger of claim 16, wherein the means for terminating the finishing charge comprises means for detecting when either a voltage peak or a voltage plateau in said finishing charge is detected.

18. The charger of claim 16, wherein the means for terminating the finishing charge comprises means for detecting when a second inflection point in said finishing charge is detected.

19. The charger of claim 18, further comprising a processing means, wherein said processing means compiles data for values of resistance free voltage with respect to time, and locates said second inflection point by computing the maximum of the first derivative of resistance free voltage with respect to time.

20. The charger of claim 18, further comprising a means for measuring total charge delivered to the battery or cell, and further comprising means for terminating the finishing charge when a predetermined value of charge delivered has been reached, wherein said value of charge is measured from when said second inflection point has been detected.