Communicating battery charger

Abstract

A battery charger adapted to charge a battery and output battery status and / or battery information to a mobile computing device and / or a remote server via a wired and / or wireless connection. The battery charger includes a rectifier, a controller / processor, a battery connection, an optical coupler, a signal conditioner, and a communication module.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates generally to battery chargers. More particularly, the present invention relates to battery chargers that transmit data via wireless and / or wired connections. Background Art

[0002] Battery chargers are commonly used in automotive, industrial, and home applications to charge batteries used as power sources for tools, such as electric ratchets, drivers, impact tools, and drills. Battery chargers typically indicate the charge condition or charge state of the battery being charged by using a fuel gauge indicator (e.g., an incremental LED light) on the exterior of the housing to indicate the charge state of the battery. However, in a workplace or other location, the battery charger may be charging the battery at a distance from the operator, or otherwise charging the battery, and the charge state is not easily visible or available, so it is often difficult to determine the charge state of the battery. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present invention broadly relates to a battery charger adapted to charge one or more batteries and further adapted to transmit data via a wireless and / or wired connection. The data may include information about the condition of the system or the connected batteries. Examples of data types include, but are not limited to, the state of charge of the batteries connected to the charger, the current and voltage supplied to the batteries, and / or the temperature of the system.

[0004] Specifically, the present invention broadly includes a battery charger adapted to charge a battery and output battery information. The battery charger includes: a rectifier adapted to receive power provided by an external power source; a battery connection adapted to couple to the battery and supply power to the battery; a controller adapted to determine a battery condition and adjust the power supplied to the battery connection based on the battery condition; an optical coupler adapted to link the battery to the controller via the battery connection; a signal conditioner adapted to receive a signal via the optical coupler and convert the received signal into a computer readable format; and a communication module adapted to transmit the converted signal.

[0005] In another embodiment, the present invention further broadly includes a method of communicating a status of a battery being charged by a battery charger. The battery charger includes a rectifier, a processor, a battery connection, an optocoupler, a signal conditioner, and a communication module. The method includes: receiving a signal including a battery status from an optocoupler via a signal conditioner; converting the signal to a computer readable format via the signal conditioner; outputting the converted signal to a computing device via a communication module; and displaying the battery status on a display of the computing device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] To facilitate understanding of the subject matter to be protected, there are shown in the accompanying drawings embodiments thereof and when considered in conjunction with the following description, the subject matter to be protected, as well as its structure, operation and many of its advantages, may be readily understood and appreciated by inspection of the embodiments thereof.

[0007] Figure 1 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating example electronic components of a battery charger according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0008] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a battery charger and a battery according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0009] Figure 3 An example of a system including a battery charger and a mobile computing device is shown.

[0010] Figure 4 is a flow chart illustrating a method of transmitting a condition of a battery being charged by a battery charger according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] Although the present invention allows for many different forms of embodiments, what is shown in the drawings and will be described in detail herein are embodiments of the present invention including preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the present disclosure is considered to be an example of the principles of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the broad aspects of the present invention to any one or more embodiments shown herein. As used herein, the term "present invention" is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention, but is only used to discuss exemplary embodiments of the present invention for illustrative purposes.

[0012] The present invention broadly includes a battery charger capable of outputting data wirelessly and / or via a wired connection. The data provides information about or other information related to the condition of one or more batteries operably coupled to the battery charger. The data may be transmitted to a remote computing device, such as, for example, a remote server and / or a mobile computing device (such as, for example, a mobile phone). The transmitted data enhances the ability of an operator to monitor the condition of one or more batteries being charged by the battery charger compared to existing solutions.

[0013] Reference Figures 1 to 4 , the battery charger 100 is adapted to couple to and charge a battery 102. The battery 102 may be a rechargeable power source for a tool such as, for example, an electric ratchet wrench and driver, an impact tool, a drill, or any other electronic device using a battery. The battery 102 may be any of lead acid, nickel cadmium (NiCd), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lithium ion (Li-ion), lithium ion polymer (LiPo), and a rechargeable alkaline battery.

[0014] The battery charger 100 is coupled to an external power source (not shown) via an electrical cord 104 or other type of wired connection. The external power source supplies alternating current (AC) power, which may be in the range of 110V to 220V. The battery charger 100 includes a housing 106 that contains data that allows charging of the battery 102, determining the condition of the battery 102 and / or other information about the battery 102, and transmitting information about the condition and / or about the battery 102. The condition of the battery 102 may include, for example, the state of charge, temperature, or charge cycles. The information about the battery 102 may include, for example, the manufacturer, date of manufacture, voltage, amperes, or other identifying information. Components of the battery charger 100 include a rectifier 108, a controller / processor 110, a battery connection 112, an optocoupler 114, a signal conditioner 116, and a communication module 118.

[0015] The power provided by the external power source may be alternating current (AC) and received by a rectifier 108 via, for example, a power line 104. The rectifier 108 is adapted to convert AC into direct current (DC). The converted DC may be in the range of 12V to 72V.

[0016] The controller / processor 110 regulates the power supplied to the battery connection 112. The battery connection 112 is adapted to be operably coupled to the battery 102 via a physical connection point or a wireless power transmission module (such as an induction coil or a radio frequency antenna) and to supply the regulated power to the battery 102, thereby charging the battery. The controller / processor 110 regulates the power provided using, for example, pulse width modulation (PWM). In one embodiment, the controller / processor 110 includes a central processing unit (CPU) for processing data and computer-readable instructions using known methods. For example, the processor / controller 110 uses a memory for runtime temporary storage of instructions and data to obtain instructions from a data store via a bus. The memory may include volatile and / or non-volatile random access memory (RAM). In addition to (or instead of) being connected to other components via a bus, these components may also be connected to other components.

[0017] The optocoupler 114 is adapted to transmit an electrical signal between two isolated circuits using light. In one example, the optocoupler 114 links the battery 102 to the processor / controller 110 via the battery connection 112. The processor / controller 110 determines battery information, such as a battery condition. The battery condition may include information such as the state of charge and / or temperature of the battery 102. The processor / controller 110 adjusts the power being supplied to the battery connection 112 based on the determined battery condition. The processor / controller 110 may also determine other battery information, such as, for example, the manufacturer of the battery, the date the battery was manufactured, identification information about the battery, and the like.

[0018] The optocoupler 114 also sends an electrical signal indicating the battery condition and / or battery information to the signal conditioner 116. The signal conditioner 116 converts the received electrical signal into a computer readable format. In one embodiment, the signal conditioner 116 converts the electrical signal into a serial data format.

[0019] The signal conditioner 116 sends the converted signal to the communication module 118. The communication module 118 may further format the converted signal for communication. The communication module 118 transmits the converted signal including the battery condition and / or battery information to one or more computing devices, such as one or more mobile computing devices 124 and / or one or more remote servers 126, using a wired connection 120 and / or a wireless transmission 122. The communication module 118 may include a transmitter, a receiver, and associated encoders, modulators, demodulators, and decoders. The communication module 118 manages and establishes a communication link 128 with the mobile computing device 124 via one or more antennas (not shown) disposed in the battery charger 100, thereby enabling two-way communication between the battery charger 100 and the software application executed by the computing device 124. The communication link 128 may be a direct link between the battery charger 100 and the mobile computing device 124 (as shown), or may be an indirect link through one or more intermediate components, such as, via a Wi-Fi router or a mesh connection (not shown).

[0020] Reference Figure 3 , which is an example of a system including a battery charger 100 and a mobile computing device 124. The battery charger 100 communicates with the mobile computing device 124 via wireless transmission 122 by establishing a communication link 128 using a protocol such as infrared, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Smart (also known as Bluetooth Low Energy), Wi-Fi Direct, or any other wireless protocol. In one embodiment, the mobile computing device 124 includes a touch-sensitive display 130 via which an operator interacts with a user interface provided by a software application on the mobile computing device 124. The software application can be used to display battery condition and / or battery information, such as, among other things, the state of charge of the battery 102 connected to the charger 100, the current and voltage supplied to the battery 102, the temperature of the system, the manufacturer of the battery 102, the date of manufacture of the battery 102, the number of charge cycles, or identification information about the battery 102. The software application also provides live, real-time feedback to the technician and provides interactive functions to help the operator determine the battery condition.

[0021] In another embodiment, the battery charger 100 also communicates the battery condition and / or battery information with one or more remote servers 126 via wireless transmission 122 by establishing a communication link 128 to a data communication network 132 such as the Internet. The communication link 128 can use, for example, a protocol such as infrared, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Smart (also known as Bluetooth Low Energy), Wi-Fi Direct, or any other wireless protocol to link with a local wireless router. In this embodiment, the mobile computing device 124 obtains or receives the battery condition and / or battery information via a wireless communication link 134 to the data communication network 132. The wireless communication link 134 can be, for example, a Wi-Fi link between the mobile computing device 124 and a local wireless router, or a cellular data link between the mobile computing device 124 and a nearby cellular tower using a cellular protocol such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), etc. One or more remote servers 126 are connected to the data communication network 132 via the communication link 136. Based on queries received from software applications on mobile computing device 124, remote server 126 sends battery condition and / or battery information to mobile computing device 124 via data communications network 132. In other system arrangements, remote server 126 may be associated with a software service provider, a manufacturing company, or a company that provides repair services.

[0022] Figure 4 The method of transmitting the condition of the battery 102 being charged by the battery charger 100 or information about the battery 102 being charged by the battery charger 100. For example, the signal conditioner receives (402) an electrical signal including the battery condition and / or the battery information from the optical coupler 114. The signal conditioner 116 converts (404) the received electrical signal into a computer readable format. The communication module 118 outputs (406) the converted signal including the battery condition and / or the battery information to a computing device such as one or more mobile computing devices 124 and / or one or more remote servers 126 using a wired connection 120 and / or a wireless transmission 122. Then, the battery condition and / or the battery information is displayed (408) on a display of the one or more mobile computing devices 124 and / or the one or more remote servers 126.

[0023] The concepts disclosed herein can be applied in a variety of different devices and computer systems. Although the mobile computing device 124 is described as a mobile device, any computer can be used. Likewise, the remote server 126 can be any kind of computer.

[0024] The specific examples discussed above are illustrative. They are selected to explain the principles and applications of the present invention and are not intended to be exhaustive. One of ordinary skill in the art of computer or battery technology should recognize that the components and processing steps described herein can be interchanged with other components or steps or combinations of components or steps, and still achieve the advantages and benefits of the present invention.

[0025] The processes performed by the battery charger 100, the mobile computing device 124, and the remote server 126 may be implemented as a computer method or as an article of manufacture such as a storage device or a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium may be readable by a computer and may include instructions for causing a computer or other device to perform the described processes. The computer-readable storage medium may be implemented by a non-volatile computer memory, storage, or medium. In addition, some of the processing operations attributed to the battery charger 100 may be implemented as a state machine in firmware or hardware, such as implementing some or all of the operations performed by the processor / controller 110 as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or some combination thereof.

[0026] As used herein, the term "coupled" may refer to any physical, electrical, magnetic or other connection between two parties, whether direct or indirect. The term "coupled" is not limited to a fixed direct coupling between two entities.

[0027] What has been described in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is provided by way of illustration only and not as a limitation. Although particular embodiments have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the broader aspects of the inventor's contribution. The actual scope of the protection sought is intended to be defined by the appended claims when viewed in proper perspective based on the prior art.

Claims

1. A battery charger adapted to charge a battery and output battery information, the battery charger comprising: a battery connection adapted to couple to and supply power to the battery; a controller adapted to determine a battery condition and to adjust power supplied to the battery based on the battery condition; an optocoupler adapted to link the battery to the controller via the battery connection; a signal conditioner adapted to receive a signal via said optical coupler and convert said received signal into a computer readable format, thereby creating a computer readable signal; and A communication module is adapted to send the computer readable signal to an external device.

2. The battery charger of claim 1, further comprising a rectifier adapted to receive power provided by an external power source.

3. The battery charger according to claim 1, wherein: The battery connection is a physical connection point.

4. The battery charger according to claim 1, wherein: The battery connection is a wireless power transfer module.

5. The battery charger according to claim 1, wherein: The controller is adapted to receive direct current (DC) power in the range of 12V to 72V.

6. The battery charger according to claim 1, wherein: The controller regulates power using pulse width modulation (PWM).

7. The battery charger according to claim 1, wherein: The battery condition includes one or more of a state of charge, a temperature of the battery, and a charging cycle.

8. The battery charger according to claim 1, wherein: The battery information includes one or more of a manufacturer of the battery, a manufacturing date of the battery, and identification information about the battery.

9. The battery charger according to claim 1, wherein: The computer readable signal sent by the communication module includes the battery information and the battery condition.

10. The battery charger according to claim 1, wherein: The battery conditions include the battery's state of charge, the current and voltage being supplied to the battery, the battery's temperature, and charging cycles.

11. The battery charger according to claim 1, wherein: The communication module transmits the converted electrical signal to the external device via a wired connection.

12. The battery charger according to claim 1, wherein: The communication module transmits the computer-readable signal to the external device via wireless transmission.

13. A method of communicating a status of a battery being charged by a battery charger, the battery charger comprising a rectifier, a processor, a battery connection, an optocoupler, a signal conditioner, and a communication module, the optocoupler being adapted to link the battery to the processor via the battery connection, the method comprising: receiving, via the signal conditioner, an electrical signal from the optical coupler including battery condition information; converting the electrical signal into a computer readable format by the signal conditioner; outputting the converted electrical signal to an external computing device through the communication module; as well as The battery condition information is displayed on a display of the external computing device.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein: The outputting step is via a wired connection with the external computing device.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein: The outputting step is via wireless transmission with the external computing device.

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