Patent ID: 7554292
Filing Date: 2009-06-30
Classification: H02J

Abstract:
1. A battery charger for simultaneously charging a plurality of batteries from a power source having a finite maximum available current, comprising: a master charge manager for charging one of the batteries, the master charge manager being coupled to the power source and being configured to charge the one battery with a first continuously decreasing portion of the available current after a voltage across the one battery exceeds a first predetermined maximum voltage threshold; a slave charge manager for charging another of the batteries, the slave charge manager being coupled to the power source and the master charge manager; and a cross-over controller coupled to the charge managers, the cross-over controller being configured to continuously determine a remaining portion of the available current based on a current drawn by the one battery from the master charge manager, and, while the master charge manager charges the one battery with the first continuously decreasing portion of the available current, to direct the slave charge manager to charge the another battery with a continuously increasing portion of the available current based on the determined remaining portion of the available current, the total of the decreasing portion and the increasing portion being substantially equal to the maximum available current.