Battery charger supporting multiple power inputs

Abstract

The battery charger comprises a power output interface, a rectifier and a power conversion unit, wherein the power output interface is in power supply connection with a battery; the rectifier is electrically connected between an alternating current connection interface and the power output interface; the power conversion unit is electrically connected between a direct current connection interface and the power output interface; when the AC connection interface receives an input AC power, the rectifier rectifies the input AC power into a DC power, and outputs the DC power to the power output interface. When the direct-current connection interface receives input direct-current power and the alternating-current connection interface does not receive the alternating-current power, the power supply conversion unit converts the input direct-current power into the direct-current power and outputs the direct-current power to the power output interface; the battery charger can charge the battery by using direct current or alternating current in a two-in-one manner.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] A battery charger, especially one that supports multiple power inputs. Background Art

[0002] Generally, a 12 volt (V) car battery is provided in a fuel vehicle to start the engine. When the vehicle is not started for a long time, some electrical equipment in the vehicle will consume a small amount of power due to being in standby mode, so the power in the car battery will decrease over time. When the vehicle is not used for a long time, the car battery in the vehicle may be out of power, which will cause the vehicle to be unable to start. Therefore, when the car battery is out of power, it is necessary to charge the car battery before restarting the vehicle. When the car battery is out of power, the car battery can be charged by electrically connecting a known battery charger to the mains through the battery charger. The known battery charger can rectify the 120V alternating current (AC) mains into direct current (DC) and then supply it to the car battery for charging. In addition, the car battery can also be directly connected to a DC power source (DC power source) through a pair of battery wires, such as another fully charged battery, so that the DC power output by the car battery of other vehicles can be used for charging.

[0003] However, the conventional battery charger is used to connect to the mains to receive AC power provided by the mains to charge the vehicle battery, while the auxiliary battery lead is used to connect to the vehicle battery of other vehicles and cannot be electrically connected to the mains socket. In other words, currently, when a car owner needs to charge the vehicle battery when the vehicle is turned off, the car owner needs to carry both the conventional battery charger that can receive mains power and an auxiliary battery lead that can receive DC power, so that the car battery can be charged using a DC power source or an AC power source at any parking place.

[0004] For example, if the vehicle is parked in a parking lot for a long time, when the vehicle battery in the vehicle is out of power, the vehicle battery of the vehicle needs to be charged. Although there is a mains socket in the parking lot, because the owner only carries a battery wire and does not carry a conventional battery charger, the owner needs to rely on other vehicle owners to ask other vehicle owners to provide batteries with power for charging when they pass by, and cannot charge the vehicle battery directly through the mains socket on his own. For another example, if the vehicle is parked in the suburbs for a long time, when the vehicle battery in the vehicle is out of power, the vehicle battery of the vehicle needs to be charged. However, it is difficult to find a mains socket in the suburbs, and the owner only carries a conventional battery charger and does not carry a battery wire. Even if other vehicles pass by, there is a lack of battery wires to connect electricity, and the power in the vehicle batteries of other vehicles is introduced into the power-deficient vehicle battery for charging. Therefore, in order not to miss any opportunity to provide battery power to the vehicle, the vehicle owner must always carry a conventional battery charger and a battery lead that can receive direct current. The problem is that, given the limited cargo space of the vehicle, carrying both the conventional battery charger and the battery lead is inconvenient and takes up too much cargo space, which easily causes a burden to the vehicle owner. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention provides a battery charger that supports multiple power inputs, and can combine the functions of receiving AC power to charge the battery and receiving DC power to charge the battery in a two-in-one manner, so as to provide a user with the possibility of using DC power or AC power to charge the battery at the same time. The battery charger that combines the two functions in one will be more convenient to carry and can reduce the burden on the user.

[0006] The battery charger supporting multiple power inputs of the present invention comprises:

[0007] A power output interface, connected to a battery for power supply;

[0008] An AC power connection interface;

[0009] A rectifier having a rectifier input terminal and a rectifier output terminal, wherein the rectifier input terminal is electrically connected to the AC connection interface, and the rectifier output terminal is electrically connected to the power output interface; wherein when the AC connection interface is connected to an AC power source to receive an input AC power from the AC power source, the rectifier receives the input AC power from the rectifier input terminal to rectify the input AC power into a DC power, and the rectifier outputs the DC power toward the power output interface through the rectifier output terminal;

[0010] A DC connection interface;

[0011] A power conversion unit has a power conversion input terminal and a power conversion output terminal, the power conversion input terminal is electrically connected to the DC connection interface, and the power conversion output terminal is electrically connected to the power output interface; wherein, when the DC connection interface is connected to a DC power source to receive an input DC power from the DC power source, and the AC connection interface does not receive the AC power from the AC power source, the power conversion unit receives the input DC power from the power conversion input terminal to convert the input DC power into the DC power, and the power conversion unit outputs the DC power toward the power output interface through the power conversion output terminal.

[0012] In one embodiment, the AC power source is a mains power source, and the AC connection interface is a mains plug for connecting to a mains socket. The DC power source is a portable power source, and the DC connection interface is a USB PD port or a USB QC port, such as a USB Type-A connection interface or a USB Type-C connection interface. The DC connection interface of the present invention can obtain the input DC power through the portable power source, and regardless of the voltage of the input DC power, the input DC power can be converted by the power conversion unit to charge the battery electrically connected to the power output interface at an appropriate potential. In this way, when there is no AC power supply, the user of the present invention can use the portable DC power source to charge the battery. In other words, the user only needs to carry the battery charger of the present invention that supports multiple power inputs, without having to carry a traditional battery lead, and can use DC or AC to charge the battery. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a battery charger supporting multiple power inputs according to the present invention.

[0014] Figure 2A FIG. 1 is an appearance diagram of the battery charger supporting multiple power inputs according to the present invention.

[0015] Figure 2B FIG. 4 is another appearance diagram of the battery charger supporting multiple power inputs according to the present invention.

[0016] Figure 3A FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of battery potential waveform information of the battery charger supporting multiple power inputs according to the present invention.

[0017] Figure 3B FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of charging current waveform information of the battery charger supporting multiple power inputs according to the present invention.

[0018] Figure 4 FIG. 4 is an operation flow chart of the battery charger supporting multiple power inputs according to the present invention.

[0019] Figure 5 FIG. 4 is another operation flow chart of the battery charger supporting multiple power inputs of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] See also Figure 1 , Figure 2A and Figure 2B As shown, the present invention provides a battery charger 1 supporting multiple power inputs. The battery charger 1 supporting multiple power inputs has an AC connection interface 10, a DC connection interface 20, a rectifier 30, a power conversion unit 40 and a power output interface 50.

[0021] In one embodiment, the AC connection interface 10 is electrically connected to an external AC power source 2, the AC connection interface 10 is electrically connected to an external DC power source 3, and the power output interface 50 is electrically connected to an external battery. The battery is a car battery 4 in this embodiment, and the battery can also be other types of batteries in other embodiments, such as industrial deep cycle batteries or uninterruptible power supply (UPS) batteries. In addition, in this embodiment, the AC power source 2 can be, for example, a 100 volt (Volt; V) to 240V mains power source, and the AC power source 2 outputs an input AC power (AC power) to the AC connection interface 10 through a mains socket. The AC connection interface 10 is used to connect a mains plug of the mains socket. The DC power source 3 can be, for example, a portable power supply. The portable power supply has a USB Type-C power output interface, and the portable power supply has the function of PD (Power Delivery) power supply protocol, and the portable power supply outputs an input DC power to the DC connection interface 20 through a USB PD port or a USB QC port. The vehicle battery 4 is a lead-acid battery, which can supply 12V power when fully charged, but when the vehicle battery 4 is not fully charged, the voltage supplied by the vehicle battery 4 will drop.

[0022] The rectifier 30 is electrically connected between the AC connection interface 10 and the power output interface 50, and has a rectifier input terminal 31 and a rectifier output terminal 32. Preferably, the rectifier input terminal 31 is electrically connected to the AC connection interface 10, and the rectifier output terminal 32 is electrically connected to the power output interface 50. When the AC connection interface 10 receives the input AC power from the AC power source 2, the rectifier 30 receives the input AC power from the rectifier input terminal 31 to rectify the input AC power into DC power, and the rectifier 30 outputs the DC power toward the power output interface 50 through the rectifier output terminal 32.

[0023] The power conversion unit 40 is electrically connected between the DC connection interface 20 and the power output interface 50, and the power conversion unit 40 has a power conversion input terminal 41, a power conversion output terminal 42 and a power conversion control terminal 43. Preferably, the power conversion input terminal 41 is electrically connected to the DC connection interface 20, and the power conversion output terminal 42 is electrically connected to the power output interface 50. The power conversion output terminal 42 of the power conversion unit 40 is electrically connected to the rectifier output terminal 32 of the rectifier 30.

[0024] When the DC connection interface 20 receives the input DC power from the DC power source 3, and the AC connection interface 10 does not receive the AC power from the AC power source 2, the power conversion unit 40 receives the input DC power from the power conversion input terminal 41 to convert the input DC power into the DC power, and the power conversion unit 40 outputs the DC power to the power output interface 50 through the power conversion output terminal 42. When the DC connection interface 20 receives the input DC power from the DC power source 3, and the AC connection interface 10 receives the AC power from the AC power source 2 at the same time, the power conversion unit 40 does not output the DC power, but only enables the rectifier 30 to output the DC power to the power output interface 50. The DC power output to the power output interface 50 provides power for charging the vehicle battery 4 electrically connected to the power output interface 50.

[0025] Compared with the conventional technology, which requires respectively charging the vehicle battery 4 with the mains power through the conventional battery charger when the vehicle is turned off and charging the vehicle battery 4 by connecting the battery of other vehicles through the conventional battery wire, the battery charger 1 supporting multiple power inputs provided by the present invention can combine the function of receiving AC power to charge the vehicle battery and the function of receiving DC power to charge the vehicle battery in two-in-one, so as to provide a user with the possibility of using DC power or AC power to charge the vehicle battery 4. When there is no AC power supply 2, the user of the present invention can use the portable DC power supply 3 to charge the vehicle battery. In this way, the user only needs to carry the battery charger 1 supporting multiple power inputs of the present invention, without carrying the conventional battery wire, and can use DC power or AC power to charge the vehicle battery 4. In this way, the battery charger 1 supporting multiple power inputs that combines two functions in one will also be more convenient to carry and can reduce the burden on the user.

[0026] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the present invention further comprises a processing unit 60, a control unit 70, a system power regulating unit 80, a pulse width modulation control unit 90, a voltmeter 100, a reverse protection unit 110, a screen unit 120 and a button unit 130. Moreover, the processing unit 60 is electrically connected to the power conversion control terminal 43 of the power conversion unit 40, the control unit 70, the system power regulating unit 80, the pulse width modulation control unit 90, the voltmeter 100, the screen unit 120 and the button unit 130 respectively.

[0027] The system power regulating unit 80 is further electrically connected between the rectifier output end 32 of the rectifier 30 and the DC connection interface 20, so that the system power regulating unit 80 can sense whether the DC power is received from the rectifier output end 32, and also sense whether the input DC power is received from the DC connection interface 20. The system power regulating unit 80 generates a power status signal based on the above two sensing results, and transmits the power status signal to the processing unit 60.

[0028] When the processing unit 60 determines that the rectifier output terminal 32 outputs the DC power and the DC connection interface 20 outputs the input DC power according to the power status signal generated by the system power adjustment unit 80, the processing unit 60 controls the power conversion unit 40 to stop outputting the DC power through the power conversion output terminal 42. In other words, when the processing unit 60 determines that the present invention has simultaneously received the power of the AC power source 2 and the power of the DC power source 3 to generate the power for charging the vehicle battery 4 according to the power status signal, the processing unit 60 controls the battery charger 1 supporting multiple power inputs to preferentially use the power of the AC power source 2 to generate the power for charging the vehicle battery 4. The reason is that, as mentioned above, the AC power source 2 is usually the mains power, and the power of the DC power source 3 is usually the portable power source carried by the user of the present invention. Using the power of the mains power to charge the vehicle battery 4 can ensure that the portable power source of the user still has the power required for occasional needs.

[0029] The power conversion unit 40 is a DC to DC transformer, and its voltage conversion ratio can be dynamically adjusted by the control of the processing unit 60. For example, when the input DC power has a voltage significantly lower than the DC power should have, the processing unit 60 controls the power conversion unit 40 to increase the voltage multiple. On the contrary, when the input DC power has a voltage nearly equal to the DC power should have, the processing unit 60 controls the power conversion unit 40 to stabilize the input DC power and output it to the pulse width modulation control unit 90. When the input DC power has a voltage higher than the DC power should have, the processing unit 60 can also control the power conversion unit 40 to reduce the voltage of the input DC power. Therefore, regardless of the voltage of the input DC power, the power conversion unit 40 of the present invention can convert the input DC power to an appropriate voltage so that the output DC power can charge the vehicle battery 4 at an appropriate voltage.

[0030] In addition, when the processing unit 60 determines that the rectifier output terminal 32 does not output the DC power and the DC connection interface 20 outputs the input DC power according to the power state signal, the processing unit 60 controls the power conversion unit 40 to convert the input DC power into the DC power and output the DC power through the power conversion output terminal 42. In other words, when the AC power source 2 lacks the power supply, the processing unit 60 controls the battery charger 1 supporting multiple power inputs to use the power of the DC power source 3 to generate power for charging the vehicle battery 4.

[0031] Of course, when the processing unit 60 determines that the rectifier output terminal 32 outputs the DC power and the DC connection interface 20 does not output the input DC power according to the power status signal, the processing unit 60 controls the battery charger 1 that supports multiple power inputs to use the power of the AC power source 2 to generate power for charging the vehicle battery 4.

[0032] In addition, the control unit 70 is further connected in series between the DC connection interface 20 and the power conversion input terminal 41 of the power conversion unit 40, that is, the power conversion input terminal 41 of the power conversion unit 40 is electrically connected to the DC connection interface 20 through the control unit 70. When the DC connection interface 20 receives the input DC power from the DC power source 3, the control unit 70 attempts to execute a handshake protocol with the DC power source 3. The control unit 70 of the present invention can accept a variety of charging protocols. For example, the control unit 70 can accept the aforementioned USB PD port using the PD charging protocol, or accept the aforementioned USB QC port using the QC 3.0 charging protocol. The present invention does not limit the types of charging protocols that the control unit 70 can accept, so the present invention does not limit the types of the handshake protocols that can be supported, but the control unit 70 can only accept the charging protocols that it can define.

[0033] When the control unit 70 determines that the handshake protocol executed with the DC power source 3 is successful, the control unit 70 determines that the charging protocol used by the DC power source 3 can be defined by the present invention, so the control unit 70 generates a protocol information about the charging protocol to the processing unit 60, for example, notifying the processing unit 60 that the DC power source 3 will use the PD charging protocol. The processing unit 60 obtains a power type information of the DC power source 3 according to the protocol information, and the processing unit 60 controls the power conversion unit 40 to convert the input DC power into the DC power according to the protocol information. For example, when the power type information is the PD charging protocol, the processing unit 60 can control the power conversion unit 40 according to a built-in data table to increase the voltage of the input DC power for the DC power output.

[0034] When the handshake protocol fails, the control unit 70 determines that the charging protocol used by the DC power source 3 is not defined by the present invention, so the control unit 70 stops conducting the power conversion input terminal 41 of the power conversion unit 40, that is, the control unit 70 forms a short circuit between the DC connection interface 20 and the power conversion unit 40 and refuses the battery charger 1 supporting multiple power inputs of the present invention to use the charging protocol that has not been defined. In this way, the control unit 70 can protect the battery charger 1 supporting multiple power inputs of the present invention from being damaged by overvoltage or overcurrent caused by the charging protocol that has not been defined. Therefore, according to the above, after receiving the protocol information output by the control unit 70, the processing unit 60 has mastered how to process the input DC power input by the DC power source 3 into the basis for the subsequent power supply for charging the vehicle battery 4. The processing unit 60 will definitely charge the vehicle battery 4 when there is a basis for how to charge the vehicle battery 4 to protect the health and safety of the vehicle battery 4.

[0035] In this embodiment, the pulse width modulation control unit 90, the voltmeter 100 and the reverse protection unit 110 are sequentially connected in series from the rectifier output end 32 of the rectifier 30 to the power output interface 50. That is, the rectifier output end 32 of the rectifier 30 is electrically connected to the power output interface 50 through the pulse width modulation control unit 90, the voltmeter 100 and the reverse protection unit 110.

[0036] In addition, the pulse width modulation control unit 90, the voltmeter 100 and the reverse protection unit 110 are also sequentially connected in series from the power conversion output terminal 42 of the power conversion unit 40 to the power output interface 50. That is, the power conversion output terminal 42 of the power conversion unit 40 is electrically connected to the power output interface 50 through the pulse width modulation control unit 90, the voltmeter 100 and the reverse protection unit 110.

[0037] The voltmeter 100 is electrically connected to the power output interface 50 through the reverse protection unit 110, and the reverse protection unit 110 allows the potential of the power output interface 50 to be sensed by the voltmeter 100. The voltmeter 100 detects the voltage of the power output interface 50 to generate a potential signal, and further the voltmeter 100 sends the potential signal to the processing unit 60.

[0038] When the vehicle battery 4 is electrically connected to the power output interface 50 and the rectifier output terminal 32 of the rectifier 30 or the power conversion output terminal 42 of the power conversion unit 40 has not yet output the DC power to the power output interface 50, the vehicle battery 4 can output a vehicle battery power to the power output interface 50. In this way, the potential signal sensed by the voltmeter 100 represents the potential of the vehicle battery power. The processing unit 60 can determine a health status of the vehicle battery 4 and calculate a battery power percentage based on the potential signal about the potential of the vehicle battery power received from the voltmeter 100 and the built-in battery data.

[0039] Furthermore, the processing unit 60 has a built-in memory, and the built-in memory stores a voltage charging schedule, a charging current threshold, a charging control setting, a battery abnormal waveform information, and multiple charging stage waveform information. When the vehicle battery 4 starts to be charged, the processing unit 60 starts to count a cumulative charging time for charging the vehicle battery 4, and calculates a cumulative charging energy for charging the vehicle battery 4, that is, the amount of energy used to charge the vehicle battery 4. The calculation unit of the cumulative charging energy can be, for example, ampere-hour (Ah) to calculate the amount of charge used within a period of time. In addition, the processing unit 60 calculates a charging progress value and a charging current value based on the voltage charging schedule and the aforementioned potential signal, and the processing unit 60 calculates an estimated charging completion time based on the charging progress value and the charging current value.

[0040] Please also read Figure 3A and Figure 3B As shown, after the processing unit 60 receives the potential signal from the voltmeter 100 , the processing unit 60 continuously records the potential change of the potential signal to generate a battery potential waveform information 200 . Figure 3A The schematic diagram of the battery potential waveform information 200 is shown, and the unit of the vertical axis is voltage V, and the unit of the horizontal axis is time T. Preferably, the processing unit 60 also continuously monitors the amount of power output to the vehicle battery 4 by the battery charger 1 supporting multiple power inputs, so the processing unit 60 generates a charging current waveform information 300 corresponding to the battery potential waveform information 200 according to the power output to the vehicle battery 4 and the battery potential waveform information 200. Figure 3B In the schematic diagram of the charging current waveform information 300 , the unit of the vertical axis is the current I, and the unit of the horizontal axis is also the time T. Figure 3A and Figure 3B The signal schematic diagram shows the corresponding relationship between the battery potential waveform information 200 and the charging current waveform information 300 in terms of time.

[0041] When charging the vehicle battery 4 , the processing unit 60 continuously monitors the change of the battery potential waveform information 200 , determines whether the battery potential waveform information 200 matches the battery abnormal waveform information 205 , and determines whether the charging current value is less than or equal to the charging current threshold.

[0042] When the processing unit 60 determines that the battery potential waveform information matches the battery abnormal waveform information 205, the processing unit 60 generates a battery abnormality notification to report that the health status of the vehicle battery 4 is abnormal and that a health check and maintenance of the vehicle battery 4 is required. Figure 3A In the example, the processing unit 60 determines that the health status of the vehicle battery 4 is abnormal at a fourth time T4, and health inspection and maintenance are required. When the processing unit 60 determines that the charging current value is greater than the charging current threshold, the processing unit 60 controls the power conversion unit 40 to reduce the current flow of the DC power output through the power conversion output terminal 42 to protect the safety of charging.

[0043] When the processing unit 60 determines that the battery potential waveform information does not match the battery abnormal waveform information 205, and determines that the charging current value is less than or equal to the charging current threshold, the processing unit 60 determines that the vehicle battery 4 is in a safe stage, and is in a normal charging state for the vehicle battery 4, and further determines whether the battery potential waveform information 200 matches one of the charging stage waveform information. Figure 3A and Figure 3B As shown, in this embodiment, under normal circumstances, the charging stages can be divided into four different stages, such as a first stage, a second stage, a third stage and a fourth stage. In this embodiment, the first stage starts at a start time T0 and ends at a first time T1, the second stage starts at the first time T1 and ends at a second time T2, the third stage starts at the second time T2 and ends at a third time T3, and the fourth stage starts at the third time T3 and ends at the fourth time T4. The charging voltage waveforms of these four stages have their own characteristics, such as the first stage has a first voltage waveform information 201, the second stage has a second voltage waveform information 202, the third stage has a third voltage waveform information 203, and the fourth stage has a fourth voltage waveform information 204. Therefore, the processing unit 60 can determine which charging stage is currently in accordance with the battery potential waveform information, so as to know how to safely control the power conversion unit 40 to convert the voltage of the DC power to an appropriate potential.

[0044] Preferably, the built-in memory in the processing unit 60 further stores a first voltage threshold, a second voltage threshold and a third voltage threshold. The third voltage threshold is greater than the second voltage threshold, and the second voltage threshold is greater than the first voltage threshold. In addition, the aforementioned charging control setting has charging control setting contents corresponding to the first stage, the second stage, the third stage and the fourth stage, respectively. During normal charging, the processing unit 60 determines whether the potential signal sensed by the aforementioned voltmeter 100 is greater than the first voltage threshold. When the processing unit 60 determines that the potential signal is greater than the first voltage threshold, the processing unit 60 controls the pulse width modulation control unit 90 to change the waveform mode of modulating the DC power to the output power according to the charging control setting, from the aforementioned first stage to the aforementioned second stage. In addition, the processing unit 60 further begins to determine whether the potential signal is greater than the second voltage threshold.

[0045] When the processing unit 60 determines that the potential signal is greater than the second voltage threshold, the processing unit 60 controls the pulse width modulation control unit 90 to change the waveform mode of modulating the DC power to the output power according to the charging control setting, from the aforementioned second stage to the aforementioned third stage. In addition, the processing unit 60 further starts to determine whether the potential signal is greater than the third voltage threshold.

[0046] Similarly, when the processing unit 60 determines that the potential signal is greater than the third voltage threshold, the processing unit 60 controls the pulse width modulation control unit 90 to change the waveform mode of modulating the DC power into the output power according to the charging control setting, from the aforementioned third stage to the aforementioned fourth stage. Generally speaking, the aforementioned first stage corresponds to the state in which the vehicle battery 4 is most short of power, so under the first stage, the processing unit 60 controls the pulse width modulation control unit 90 to charge with a larger power. Then, under the second stage, in order to prevent the vehicle battery 4 from overheating, the processing unit 60 controls the pulse width modulation control unit 90 to charge with a smaller power and a constant current. After appropriate cooling, under the third stage, the processing unit 60 controls the pulse width modulation control unit 90 to charge with a larger power but slightly smaller than that of the first stage. Under the fourth stage, because the vehicle battery 4 is in a state of nearly full charge, the processing unit 60 controls the pulse width modulation control unit 90 to charge with a smaller constant current than that of the second stage. In this way, the present invention can achieve the function of appropriately matching the characteristics of the vehicle battery 4 and formulating different charging plans at different stages, so as to protect the vehicle battery 4 from being damaged by overcharging or excessive high temperature through charging methods at each stage.

[0047] Preferably, the built-in memory of the processing unit 60 further stores a temperature threshold and a battery voltage temperature comparison table. The processing unit 60 can further determine the current temperature state of the vehicle battery 4 by comparing the potential signal to the battery voltage temperature comparison table. In addition, the processing unit 60 further determines whether the current temperature state of the vehicle battery 4 is greater than the temperature threshold. When the processing unit 60 determines that the temperature state is greater than the temperature threshold, the processing unit 60 generates a battery overtemperature notification.

[0048] The pulse width modulation control unit 90 is a unit that performs pulse width modulation control (PWM) on the DC power outputted by the rectifier output terminal 32 of the rectifier 30 or the DC power outputted by the power conversion output terminal 42 of the power conversion unit 40. Specifically, the pulse width modulation control unit 90 has a PWM input terminal 91 and a PWM output terminal 92. The PWM input terminal 91 is connected in parallel to the rectifier output terminal 32 of the rectifier 30 and the power conversion output terminal 42 of the power conversion unit 40 to receive the DC power generated by either of them. The PWM output terminal 92 is electrically connected to the voltmeter 100. When the processing unit 60 receives the potential signal from the voltmeter 100, the processing unit 60 controls the pulse width modulation control unit 90 to modulate the DC power received by the PWM input terminal according to the potential signal and the charging control setting as described above. Thus, after modulating the DC power, the PWM control unit 90 generates an output power, and the PWM control unit 90 outputs the output power to the voltmeter 100 , the reverse protection unit 110 and the power output interface 50 connected in series through the PWM output terminal 92 .

[0049] The reverse protection unit 110 detects whether the output power outputted to the power output interface 50 through the voltmeter 100 has a reverse current. When the reverse protection unit 110 determines that the output power has the reverse current, the reverse protection unit 110 stops conducting the power output interface 50, even if the reverse protection unit 110 and the power output interface 50 are disconnected to protect the battery charger 1 supporting multiple power inputs from being damaged by the reverse current.

[0050] In this embodiment, the processing unit 60 further controls the screen unit 120 to display a variety of information that needs to be informed to the user, for example, the processing unit 60 controls the screen unit 120 to display the aforementioned power type information about the DC power supply 3, the voltage value of the power output interface 50 sensed according to the potential signal, the accumulated charging time timed by the aforementioned processing unit 60, the accumulated charging energy calculated by the aforementioned processing unit 60, the charging progress value, the charging current value, the estimated charging completion time, a charging status, and the charging current threshold value stored in the aforementioned processing unit 60.

[0051] The power type information displayed by the screen unit 120 may, for example, display information such as AC, DC, DC-USB PD, and DC-QC 3.0. The voltage value displayed by the screen unit 120 may, for example, display the output voltage of the vehicle battery 4 when the AC power source 2 or the DC power source 3 is not used for charging, or display the output voltage of the vehicle battery 4 when the AC power source 2 or the DC power source 3 is used for charging. The charging progress value displayed by the screen unit 120 may, for example, be a percentage value or an equivalent diagram showing the percentage value, such as a bar graph. The charging status displayed by the screen unit 120 may, for example, be the aforementioned battery abnormality notification, the aforementioned battery overtemperature notification, or a more advanced battery undertemperature notification, a charging notification, a charging completion notification, a charging potential too high notification, a charging potential too low notification, a battery potential detection mode notification, a charging potential maintenance notification, and a vehicle battery 4 disconnection notification.

[0052] In this embodiment, the screen unit 120 includes a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a liquid crystal module driver (LCM Driver). The LCD module driver is electrically connected between the processing unit 60 and the LCD, and the processing unit 60 controls the operation of the LCD module driver so that the LCD module driver further controls the LCD to display the above information in a timely manner.

[0053] In addition, when the button unit 130 includes a plurality of buttons, when at least one of the buttons is pressed and activated by the user, the button unit 130 generates a setting signal to the processing unit 60. The processing unit 60 updates the charging control setting according to the received setting signal, or updates the aforementioned other data stored in the built-in memory of the processing unit 60, such as updating the setting of the charging current threshold.

[0054] See also Figure 4As shown, in one embodiment of the present invention, the operation flow of the battery charger 1 supporting multiple power inputs is performed by the processing unit 60 to perform the following steps.

[0055] Step S101: Initialize the system. For example, the system is initialized by being turned on by the user.

[0056] Step S102: Check whether all peripheral components are normal. For example, check whether all components electrically connected to the processing unit 60 are operating normally.

[0057] Step S103: When any peripheral component is detected to be abnormal, an abnormality message corresponding to the abnormal component is generated, such as an error code.

[0058] Step S104 : When all peripheral components are checked to be normal, the system power adjustment unit 80 is further used to confirm whether it is detected that the AC power source 2 inputs the input AC power and then generates the DC power through the rectifier 30 .

[0059] Step S105: When it is detected that the AC power source 2 has input the input AC power, that is, when the system power regulation unit 80 confirms that the DC power generated by the rectifier 30 has been detected, the control unit 70 is controlled to stop conducting and the power conversion unit 40 stops outputting the DC power through the power conversion output terminal 42, and directly executes step S109.

[0060] Step S106: When it is detected that the AC power source 2 does not input the input AC power, the system power adjustment unit 80 confirms whether the DC power source 3 is detected to input the input DC power. When it is confirmed that the DC power source 3 is detected to input the input DC power, step S109 is directly executed.

[0061] Step S107: When it is confirmed that the DC power source 3 does not input the input DC power, it is detected whether the vehicle battery 4 is electrically connected to the power output interface 50 so that the voltmeter 100 reads the potential of the vehicle battery 4. When the potential of the vehicle battery 4 is not read, step S103 is executed to generate the corresponding abnormal information.

[0062] Step S108: When the potential of the vehicle battery 4 is read, a battery potential detection mode notification is generated and step S102 is executed.

[0063] Step S109: Generate the charging notification.

[0064] See also Figure 5As shown, the processing unit 60 further performs the following sub-steps:

[0065] Step S110: determining whether the potential of the vehicle battery 4 is greater than 0 volt.

[0066] Step S111 : when it is determined that the potential of the vehicle battery 4 is less than or equal to 0 volt, the output of power to the vehicle battery 4 is stopped, and step S112 is executed.

[0067] Step S112: After stopping outputting power to the vehicle battery 4, the system enters a standby state and executes step S110.

[0068] Step S113: When it is determined that the potential of the vehicle battery 4 is greater than 0 volts, it is further determined whether the potential of the vehicle battery 4 is less than 14.8 volts.

[0069] Step S114: When it is determined that the potential of the vehicle battery 4 is greater than or equal to 14.8 volts, a charging potential over-high notification is generated, and step S115 is executed.

[0070] Step S115: Stop charging the vehicle battery 4.

[0071] Step S116: When it is determined that the potential of the vehicle battery 4 is less than 14.8 volts and greater than 0 volts, the charging setting is initialized, and the vehicle battery 4 starts to be charged and the accumulated charging time is started to be measured.

[0072] Step S117: Determine whether the accumulated charging time exceeds an upper charging time limit.

[0073] Step S118: When it is determined that the accumulated charging time exceeds the upper limit of the charging time, a charging timeout notification is generated and step S115 is executed.

[0074] Step S119: When it is determined that the accumulated charging time does not exceed the upper limit of the charging time, the vehicle battery 4 is detected to see if an abnormality occurs.

[0075] Step S120: When the vehicle battery 4 has an abnormal condition, a corresponding battery abnormality notification is generated, and step S115 is executed.

[0076] Step S121: When the vehicle battery 4 is not abnormal, determine whether the reset button of the button unit 130 is activated. When the reset button of the button unit 130 is activated, execute step S116. When the reset button of the button unit 130 is not activated, execute step S110.

Claims

1. A battery charger supporting multiple power inputs, characterized in that: include: A power output interface, connected to a battery for power supply; An AC power connection interface; A rectifier having a rectifier input terminal and a rectifier output terminal, wherein the rectifier input terminal is electrically connected to the AC connection interface, and the rectifier output terminal is electrically connected to the power output interface; wherein when the AC connection interface is connected to an AC power source to receive an input AC power from the AC power source, the rectifier receives the input AC power from the rectifier input terminal to rectify the input AC power into a DC power, and the rectifier outputs the DC power toward the power output interface through the rectifier output terminal; A DC connection interface; A power conversion unit has a power conversion input terminal and a power conversion output terminal, wherein the power conversion input terminal is electrically connected to the DC connection interface, and the power conversion output terminal is electrically connected to the power output interface; wherein, when the DC connection interface is connected to a DC power source to receive an input DC power from the DC power source, and the AC connection interface does not receive the AC power from the AC power source, the power conversion unit receives the input DC power from the power conversion input terminal to convert the input DC power into the DC power, and the power conversion unit outputs the DC power toward the power output interface through the power conversion output terminal.

2. The battery charger according to claim 1, characterized in that Further including: a system power conditioning unit, electrically connected between the rectifier output terminal of the rectifier and the DC connection interface, sensing whether the DC power is received from the rectifier output terminal and sensing whether the input DC power is received from the DC connection interface to generate a power status signal; a processing unit electrically connected to the system power regulating unit and the power conversion unit; When the processing unit determines, according to the power state signal generated by the system power regulation unit, that the rectifier output terminal outputs the DC power and the DC connection interface outputs the input DC power, the processing unit controls the power conversion unit to stop outputting the DC power through the power conversion output terminal; When the processing unit determines, based on the power status signal, that the rectifier output terminal does not output the DC power and at the same time the DC connection interface outputs the input DC power, the processing unit controls the power conversion unit to convert the input DC power into the DC power, and outputs the DC power through the power conversion output terminal.

3. The battery charger according to claim 1, characterized in that Further including: a control unit, electrically connected between the DC connection interface and the power conversion input terminal of the power conversion unit, and electrically connected to the processing unit; wherein, when the DC connection interface receives the input DC power from the DC power supply, the control unit attempts to perform a handshake protocol with the DC power supply; Wherein, when the handshake protocol succeeds, the control unit generates a protocol message to the processing unit, and the processing unit controls the power conversion unit to convert the input DC power into the DC power according to the protocol message; Wherein, when the handshake protocol fails, the control unit stops conducting the power conversion input terminal of the power conversion unit.

4. The battery charger according to claim 1, characterized in that Further including: A screen unit is electrically connected to the processing unit; wherein, when the processing unit receives the protocol information, the processing unit obtains power type information of the DC power supply according to the protocol information, and the processing unit controls the screen unit to display the power type information.

5. The battery charger according to claim 1, wherein: Further including: a voltmeter, electrically connected to the power output interface, detecting the voltage of the power output interface to generate a potential signal; A screen unit; A processing unit is electrically connected to the voltmeter and the screen unit; wherein, after the processing unit receives the potential signal from the voltmeter, the processing unit controls the screen unit to display the voltage value of the power output interface according to the potential signal.

6. The battery charger according to claim 5, characterized in that The processing unit stores a voltage charging schedule table, calculates a charging schedule value and a charging current value according to the voltage charging schedule table and the potential signal, and controls the screen unit to display the charging schedule value and the charging current value.

7. The battery charger according to claim 6, characterized in that The processing unit calculates an estimated charging completion time according to the charging progress value and the charging current value, and the processing unit controls the screen unit to display the estimated charging completion time.

8. The battery charger according to claim 6, characterized in that The processing unit stores a charging current threshold, the processing unit controls the screen unit to display the charging current threshold, and the processing unit determines whether the charging current value is less than or equal to the charging current threshold; When the charging current value is greater than the charging current threshold, the processing unit controls the power conversion unit to reduce the current of the DC power output through the power conversion output terminal.

9. The battery charger according to claim 5, characterized in that The processing unit stores abnormal battery waveform information, and after receiving the potential signal from the voltmeter, the processing unit continuously records the change of the potential signal to generate battery potential waveform information; When the processing unit determines that the battery potential waveform information matches the battery abnormality waveform information, the processing unit generates a battery abnormality notification, and the processing unit controls the screen unit to display the battery abnormality notification.

10. The battery charger according to claim 1, wherein: Further including: a pulse width modulation control unit having a PWM input terminal and a PWM output terminal, wherein the PWM input terminal is connected in parallel to the rectifier output terminal of the rectifier and the power conversion output terminal of the power conversion unit to receive the DC power; a voltmeter, electrically connected between the PWM output terminal of the pulse width modulation control unit and the power output interface, detecting the voltage of the power output interface to generate a potential signal; a processing unit electrically connected to the voltage meter and the pulse width modulation control unit and storing a charging control setting; wherein, after the processing unit receives the potential signal from the voltage meter, the processing unit controls the pulse width modulation control unit to modulate the DC power received by the PWM input end into an output power according to the potential signal and the charging control setting, and outputs the output power toward the voltage meter and the power output interface through the PWM output end.

11. The battery charger according to claim 10, characterized in that Further including: A reverse protection unit is electrically connected between the voltmeter and the power output interface to detect whether the output power outputted from the voltmeter to the power output interface has a reverse current; when the output power has the reverse current, the power output interface is stopped from being turned on.

12. The battery charger according to claim 10, characterized in that Further including: a screen unit electrically connected to the processing unit; wherein the processing unit controls the charging control setting of the screen unit; A button unit is electrically connected to the processing unit; wherein, when the button unit is activated to generate a setting signal to the processing unit, the processing unit updates the charging control setting according to the setting signal.

13. The battery charger according to claim 10, characterized in that The charging control setting has a first voltage threshold, and the processing unit determines whether the potential signal is greater than the first voltage threshold; When the potential signal is greater than the first voltage threshold, the processing unit controls the pulse width modulation control unit to change the waveform mode of modulating the direct current power into the output power.

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