Patent ID: 6018227
Filing Date: 2000-01-25
Classification: A61B,H01M,H02J,Y02E

Abstract:
A charger for providing an energization current to a battery, said charger having:a base unit;a module adapted to be releasably connected to the base unit, said module having a socket for receiving the battery and electrical contacts for establishing a conductive path between said base unit and the battery over which a charging current is applied to the battery;a first memory associated with the battery for storing sequence data indicting a sequence in which charging current is applied to the battery;a current source disposed in said base unit, said current source being configured to generate a variable charging current and that is connected to said electrical contacts of said module to apply the charging current to the battery and that is configured to provide a MEASURED.sub.-- VOLTAGE signal representative of voltage across the battery, wherein said current source generates the charging current at a specific level to the battery based on a received CURRENT.sub.-- CONTROL signal; anda processor unit disposed in said base unit, said processor unit being connected to said first memory for reading the sequence data and being connected to said current source, wherein said processor unit: receives the MEASURED.sub.-- VOLTAGE signal; performs tests on the MEASURED.sub.-- VOLTAGE signal; generates the CURRENT.sub.-- CONTROL signal to said current source as a function of the results of the tests of the MEASURED.sub.-- VOLTAGE signal; is configured to test the MEASURED.sub.-- VOLTAGE signal and generate the CURRENT.sub.-- CONTROL signal in a plurality of different sequences; and tests the MEASURED.sub.-- VOLTAGE signal and generates the CURRENT.sub.-- CONTROL signal in a specific sequence based on the sequence data read from said first memory.