Charger

Abstract

The invention discloses a charger. The charger comprises a shell; the plurality of groups of battery connecting terminals are supported by the shell and are arranged to be connected into a battery pack; the charging circuit comprises a plurality of charging paths, and at least two charging paths are different in maximum output power; each group of battery connection terminals can be electrically coupled to any one of the plurality of charging paths; the controller is connected with the charging circuit; and the controller is configured to select a charging path accessed by the battery connecting terminal and select a charging mode adaptive to the battery pack at least according to battery parameters of the battery pack accessed by the battery connecting terminal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to an energy conversion device, and more particularly to a charger. Background Art

[0002] With the development of battery technology, portable power tools have gradually become the mainstream tools. Different tools may use different battery packs as power supplies. When there are multiple power tools in a family or a team, there may be multiple identical or different battery packs. Therefore, a charger that can charge multiple battery packs simultaneously has also become one of the mainstream products in the charger field.

[0003] This section provides background information related to the present application, which is not necessarily prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0004] An object of the present application is to solve or at least mitigate some or all of the above problems. To this end, an object of the present application is to provide a multi-head charger that can more intelligently allocate charging power and meet the blind plugging requirement.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the present application adopts the following technical solutions: A charger, comprising: a housing; a plurality of groups of battery connection terminals supported by the housing, the battery connection terminals being configured to access a battery pack; a charging circuit including a plurality of charging paths, at least two of the charging paths having different maximum output powers; each group of the battery connection terminals being electrically coupled to any one of the plurality of charging paths; a controller connected to the charging circuit; the controller being configured to: select, at least according to the battery parameters of the battery pack accessed by the battery connection terminals, the charging path accessed by the battery connection terminals and select a charging mode adapted to the battery pack.

[0006] In some embodiments, a plurality of switching elements are connected in parallel to each of the charging paths; one end of each of the switching elements is connected to the output end of the charging path, and the other end is connected to the plurality of groups of battery connection terminals.

[0007] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to control the on state of each of the switching elements according to the electrical parameters at the plurality of groups of battery connection terminals and the battery parameters of the battery pack accessed by the connection terminals, so as to turn on the corresponding charging path.

[0008] In some embodiments, the electrical parameters at the battery connection terminals at least include the voltage at the battery connection terminals.

[0009] In some embodiments, the battery parameters include at least one of the voltage of the battery pack, the state of charge, the state of health, and the remaining power.

[0010] In some embodiments, the controller includes: a communication module configured to receive a mode selection instruction sent by a user terminal; the controller is configured to control at least one charging path to conduct and output charging electric energy according to the charging mode indicated by the mode selection instruction.

[0011] In some embodiments, the mode selection instruction includes at least one of a single-pack priority charging instruction, a multi-pack balanced charging instruction, a fast charging instruction, and a lifespan charging instruction.

[0012] In some embodiments, the maximum output power of at least one of the charging paths is substantially equal to the input power of the charger.

[0013] In some embodiments, the maximum output power of at least one of the charging paths is substantially less than or equal to 80% of the input power of the charger.

[0014] In some embodiments, the maximum output power of at least one of the charging paths is substantially less than or equal to 70% of the input power of the charger.

[0015] In some embodiments, the maximum output power of at least one of the charging paths is substantially less than or equal to 60% of the input power of the charger.

[0016] A charger includes: a housing; a plurality of groups of battery connection terminals supported by the housing, the battery connection terminals being configured to access a battery pack; a charging circuit including a plurality of charging paths, with at least two charging paths having different maximum output powers; each group of the battery connection terminals can be electrically coupled to any one of the plurality of charging paths; a controller connected to at least the charging circuit; the controller is configured to: control at least one charging path to conduct based on the received mode selection instruction and output charging electric energy according to the charging mode indicated by the mode selection instruction.

[0017] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to: control the charging path accessed by the battery connection terminals at least according to the battery parameters of the battery pack accessed by the battery connection terminals.

[0018] In some embodiments, the battery parameters include at least one of the voltage, state of charge, health state, and remaining power of the battery pack.

[0019] In some embodiments, the mode selection instruction includes at least one of a single-pack priority charging instruction, a multi-pack balanced charging instruction, a fast charging instruction, and a lifespan charging instruction. Description of the Drawings

[0020] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a charging system provided by an embodiment of the present application; Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of a power tool powered by a battery pack provided by an embodiment of the present application; Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the circuit structure of a charger provided by an embodiment of the present application; Figure 4a It is a schematic diagram of a structure of a charging circuit in a charger provided by an embodiment of the present application; Figure 4b It is another schematic diagram of a structure of a charging circuit in a charger provided by an embodiment of the present application; Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the interactive communication between a charger and a user terminal provided by an embodiment of the present application; Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the circuit structure of a power supply device provided by an embodiment of the present application; Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of an internal circuit structure of a power supply device provided by an embodiment of the present application; Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the interactive communication between a power supply device and a user terminal provided by an embodiment of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0021] Before explaining any embodiment of the present application in detail, it should be understood that the present application is not limited to the structural details and component arrangements described in the following description or shown in the above drawings.

[0022] In the present application, the terms "comprise", "include", "have" or any other variant thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements not only includes those elements but also includes other elements not expressly listed, or further includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. Without further limitation, an element defined by the statement "comprising one..." does not exclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article or device including that element.

[0023] In the present application, the term "and / or" is a relationship description of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B may represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, in the present application, the character " / " generally represents an "and / or" relationship between the associated objects before and after.

[0024] In this application, the terms "connected", "combined", "coupled", and "installed" can be direct connections, combinations, couplings, or installations, or indirect connections, combinations, couplings, or installations. For example, a direct connection means that two parts or components are connected together without an intermediate member, and an indirect connection means that two parts or components are respectively connected to at least one intermediate member, and these two parts or components are connected through the intermediate member. In addition, "connected" and "coupled" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections or couplings, and may include electrical connections or couplings.

[0025] In this application, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that relative terms used in combination with a quantity or condition (e.g., "about", "approximately", "substantially", etc.) are intended to include the recited value and have the meaning indicated by the context. For example, such relative terms include at least the degree of error associated with the measurement of a particular value, tolerances resulting from manufacturing, assembly, use, etc. associated with a particular value. Such terms should also be considered to disclose a range defined by the absolute values of two endpoints. A relative term may refer to a plus or minus a certain percentage (e.g., 1%, 5%, 10% or more) of the indicated value. Numerical values without the use of relative terms should also be disclosed as having tolerances. In addition, "substantially" when expressing a relative angular positional relationship (e.g., substantially parallel, substantially perpendicular) may refer to plus or minus a certain number of degrees (e.g., 1 degree, 5 degrees, 10 degrees or more) from the indicated angle.

[0026] In this application, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the functions performed by a component can be performed by one component, multiple components, one part, or multiple parts. Similarly, the functions performed by a part can also be performed by one part, one component, or a combination of multiple parts.

[0027] In this application, the directional terms such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "rear", etc. are described based on the orientation and positional relationship shown in the drawings, and should not be construed as limiting the embodiments of this application. In addition, in the context, it should also be understood that when it is mentioned that one element is connected "above" or "below" another element, it can not only be directly connected "above" or "below" another element, but also be indirectly connected "above" or "below" another element through an intermediate element. It should also be understood that the directional terms such as the upper side, lower side, left side, right side, front side, rear side, etc. not only represent the positive direction, but can also be understood as the side direction. For example, the lower side can include directly below, lower left, lower right, lower front, and lower rear, etc.

[0028] In this application, the terms "controller", "processor", "central processing unit", "CPU", and "MCU" are interchangeable. When using the units "controller", "processor", "central processing unit", "CPU", or "MCU" to perform specific functions, unless otherwise specified, these functions can be performed by a single one of the above units or multiple ones of the above units.

[0029] In this application, the terms "device", "module", or "unit" can be implemented in the form of hardware or software in order to achieve specific functions.

[0030] In this application, the terms "calculate", "judge", "control", "determine", "identify", etc. refer to the operations and processes of a computer system or a similar electronic computing device (e.g., a controller, a processor, etc.).

[0031] Reference Figure 1 The charging system shown can include a charger 10 and a battery pack 20. Among them, the battery pack 20 can include battery packs of various types or models or with different battery parameters. The battery pack 20 can be adapted to various types of power tools, or different types of battery packs are adapted to different types of power tools.

[0032] In this embodiment, some of the power tools 30 that the battery pack 20 can be adapted to are as follows Figure 2As shown, it may include a ride-on lawn mower 30a, a hand-held electric drill 30b, a chainsaw 30c, a string trimmer 30d, and a blower 30e. In some embodiments, the power tool 30 may be a hand-held power tool, such as a drill, a pruning shear, a sander, etc. Alternatively, the power tool 30 may also be a table-type tool, such as a table saw, a miter saw, etc. Alternatively, the power tool 30 may also be a walk-behind power tool, such as a walk-behind lawn mower, a walk-behind snow blower. Alternatively, the power tool 30 may also be a ride-on power tool, such as a ride-on lawn mower, a ride-on vehicle, an all-terrain vehicle, etc. Alternatively, the power tool 30 may also be a robotic tool, such as a lawn mowing robot, a snow sweeping robot, etc. In some embodiments, the power tool 30 may be a drill, a light, an electric vehicle, etc. In some embodiments, the power tool 30 may also be a gardening tool, such as a pruning shear, a blower, a lawn mower, a chainsaw, etc. Alternatively, the power tool 30 may also be a decorating tool, such as a screwdriver, a nail gun, a circular saw, a sander, etc. In some embodiments, the power tool 30 may also be a vegetation care tool, such as a string trimmer, a lawn mower, a pruning shear, a chainsaw, etc. Alternatively, the power tool 30 may also be a cleaning tool, such as a blower, a snow blower, a washer, etc. Alternatively, the power tool 30 may also be a drilling tool, such as a drill, a screwdriver, a wrench, a jackhammer, etc. Alternatively, the power tool 30 may also be a sawing tool, such as a reciprocating saw, a jigsaw, a circular saw, etc. Alternatively, the power tool 30 may also be a table-type tool, such as a table saw, a miter saw, a metal cutting machine, a router, etc. Alternatively, the power tool 30 may also be a grinding tool, such as an angle grinder, a sander, etc. Alternatively, the power tool 30 may also be other tools, such as a light, a fan, etc. Of course, the load may also include other types of household electrical appliances.

[0033] In this embodiment, referring to Figure 1 The charger 10 includes a housing 11 and a plurality of sets of battery connection terminals 12 supported by the housing. Each set of battery connection terminals 12 can be used as an electrical energy output interface to connect to a battery pack 20. The charger 10 further includes a plug 13 that can be connected to the power grid. In one embodiment, a set of battery connection terminals 12 may include a positive terminal, a negative terminal, or may also include a communication terminal. The communication terminal can transmit communication data between the charger 10 and the battery pack 20. For example, the battery parameters of the battery pack 20 that can be transmitted may include at least one of the temperature, voltage, state of charge, state of health, and remaining power of the battery pack 20. The plug 13 can be connected to an AC power grid, or can be connected to a solar power grid, or can be connected to an automotive charging pile, etc. that can provide a charging power source. The specific structure of the plug 13 is not specifically limited in this embodiment.

[0034] A charging circuit 14 is provided in the housing 11, as Figure 3One end of the charging circuit 14 shown is connected to the plug 13 to access alternating current, and the other end of the charging circuit 14 can be electrically coupled to at least one set of battery connection terminals 12. The alternating current provided by an external charging power supply is accessed through the plug 13 to the charger 10. The charging circuit 14 can convert the accessed alternating current into electrical energy and then transmit it to the battery connection terminals 12 to charge the battery pack 20 connected to the battery connection terminals 12. Among them, the charging circuit 14 can at least rectify, filter, boost / buck, etc. the accessed alternating current for electrical energy conversion.

[0035] The charging circuit 14 has multiple charging paths L, and the maximum output powers of at least two charging paths are different. For example, if the charging circuit 14 has two charging paths, the maximum output powers of these two charging paths are different. If the charging circuit 14 has three or more charging paths, the maximum output powers of at least two charging paths are different. In one embodiment, the number of charging paths L can be the same as the number of groups of battery connection terminals 12, that is, there are as many charging paths as there are groups of battery connection terminals 12. It can be understood that the charging path is at least a bridge connecting the alternating current input end, i.e., the socket 13, and the battery connection terminals 12, or a path for converting and transmitting electrical energy between the electrical energy input end and the battery connection terminals 12.

[0036] In the following embodiments, the charging circuit 14 with two charging paths L1 and L2 is taken as an example to illustrate the structure of the charging path or the implementation process of the charger 10 charging one or two battery packs 20. Of course, the circuit structure or charging control process of other charging circuits 14 with three or more charging paths can refer to the circuit structure and charging process of the charging circuit 14 with two charging paths.

[0037] As Figure 4a , the charging circuit 14 may include an AC / DC module 141, a main DC / DC module 142, and an auxiliary DC / DC module 143. Define the charging path led out from the main DC / DC module 142 as L1, and the charging path led out from the auxiliary DC / DC module 143 as L2. It can also be understood that the charging path L2 is a branch of the charging path L1. The charging circuit 14 may also be as Figure 4b shown, including a DC / DC module 144. It can be defined that the charging path led out from the AC / DC module 141 is L1, and the charging path led out from the DC / DC module 144 is L2. It can be understood that the AC / DC module 141 in the charging circuit 14 is mainly used for rectification or filtering, and the main DC / DC module 142 or the auxiliary DC / DC module 143 or the DC / DC module 144 can achieve electrical energy conversion such as boosting and / or bucking, and can change the output power of the charging path. Figure 4aAmong them, the main DC / DC module 142 can change the output power of the charging path L1, and the auxiliary DC / DC module 143 can change the output power of the charging path L2. Figure 4b Among them, the DC / DC module 144 can change the output power of the charging path L2.

[0038] In this embodiment, the charger 10 further includes a controller 15, and the controller 15 can control Figure 4a and Figure 4b the working states of the AC / DC module 141, the main DC / DC module 142, the auxiliary DC / DC module 143, and the DC / DC module 144 in. Although the connection relationship between the controller 15 and different modules in the charging circuit 14 is not shown in the figure, it can be understood that the controller 15 can output control signals to the controllable elements in the charging circuit 14, such as the power elements in each module, through a wired or wireless connection relationship. In this embodiment, by controlling the working states of different modules in the charging circuit 14, the controller 15 can change the output power of different charging paths. In one embodiment, a controller can be provided separately for each charging path in the charger 10, or a controller can be provided to control the components on all charging paths. In one embodiment, the controller 15 can be arranged on a control circuit board, the charging circuit 14 can be arranged on a power circuit board, or the controller 15 and the charging circuit 14 can be integrated on one circuit board.

[0039] In one implementation, the charging path L1 can be electrically coupled to the first battery connection terminal 121, and the charging path L2 can be electrically coupled to the second battery connection terminal 122. Since the maximum output powers of the two charging paths are different, if the battery connection terminal 12 inserted by the battery pack 20 does not match, it may not be possible to meet the intelligent optimized distribution of the charging power. For example, the maximum output power of the charging path L1 is basically the same as the input power of the charger 10, for example, 300W, while the maximum output power of the charging path L2 is 150W. If the battery pack 20 can be charged at the maximum power, that is, 300W charging, but the battery pack 20 is plugged into the second battery connection terminal 122, then it cannot be charged at the maximum power.

[0040] To solve the above problems, each battery connection terminal 12 in the present application can be electrically coupled to any one of any plurality of charging paths L. That is to say, the first battery connection terminal 121 can be electrically coupled to any one of the charging paths L1 or L2, and the second battery connection terminal 122 can also be electrically coupled to any one of the charging paths L1 or L2.

[0041] In this embodiment, a battery connection terminal 12 can be connected to different charging paths through components such as controllable power elements, multi-contact switches, or relays. In one implementation, a plurality of switching elements S are arranged in parallel on each charging path. One end of each switching element S is connected to the output end of the charging path, and the other end is connected to the battery connection terminal 12. As Figure 4a and Figure 4b shown, switching elements S1 and S3 are arranged in parallel in the charging path L1. Switch S1 can be electrically connected to the first battery connection terminal 121, and switch S3 can be electrically connected to the second battery connection terminal 122. Switching elements S2 and S4 are arranged in parallel in the charging path L2. Switch S2 can be electrically connected to the first battery connection terminal 121, and switch S4 can be electrically connected to the second battery connection terminal 122. In this embodiment, the control ends of the switching elements S1 to S4 are connected to the controller 15. The controller 15 can control the conduction states of the respective switching elements. When a switching element is conducting, the charging path where it is located is conducting, and the battery connection terminal to which it is connected can receive charging electric energy. For example, when switch S1 is conducting, the charging path L1 is conducting, and the first battery connection terminal 121 connected to S1 can output charging electric energy.

[0042] In this embodiment, the controller 15 controls the charging paths electrically coupled to the first battery connection terminal 121 and the second battery connection terminal 122 by controlling the conduction states of the respective switching elements S1 to S4. Thus, regardless of whether the battery pack 20 is connected to the first battery connection terminal 121 or the second battery connection terminal 122, the controller 15 can enable the battery pack 20 to obtain an appropriate charging speed or charging power, etc. through the charging path adapted to it. On the basis of selecting an appropriate charging path, the controller 15 can also match an appropriate charging mode for the battery pack according to the battery parameters of the battery pack. This avoids the situation where the battery pack 20 is connected to an inappropriate charging path and cannot be charged in an adapted charging mode. In this embodiment, the charging modes that the controller 15 can match for the battery pack can include single-pack priority charging mode, multi-pack balanced charging mode, fast charging mode, lifespan charging mode, constant current charging mode, constant voltage charging mode, constant power charging mode, etc.

[0043] In this embodiment, the maximum output power of the charging path L1 is substantially equal to the input power of the charger 10, and the maximum output power of the charging path L1 is substantially less than or equal to 80% of the input power of the charger 10, or less than or equal to 70% of the input power of the charger 10, or less than or equal to 60% of the input power of the charger 10, or 50% of the input power of the charger 10, etc. It can be understood that for a charger having three or more charging paths, at least one charging path has a charging power substantially equal to the input power of the charger 10, and at least one charging path has a charging power substantially less than or equal to 80% of the input power of the charger 10.

[0044] In other embodiments, at least two of the multiple charging paths have different charging rates, charging modes, magnitudes of charging currents, etc. That is to say, the battery pack 20 can be charged in different charging modes, charging methods, charging rates, charging powers, etc. on at least two different charging paths. The controller 15 can control the charging path connected to the battery connection terminal by controlling the conduction state of the switching element, so that the battery pack at the battery connection terminal can obtain a charging power, charging current, charging rate, charging mode, etc. that are more suitable for its own battery characteristics in the above charging paths.

[0045] In one embodiment, a parameter detection module 16 is further provided in the charger 10, which can detect the battery parameters of the battery pack 20 or the electrical parameters at the battery connection terminal 12. In one implementation, as Figure 4a shown Figure 4b shown, the parameter detection module 16 is connected to the first battery connection terminal 121 and the second battery connection terminal 122, and can detect the electrical parameters at the first battery connection terminal 121 and the second battery connection terminal 122, such as detecting the voltage at the battery connection terminal 12, so as to determine whether a battery pack 20 is connected to the terminal. In this embodiment, the parameter detection module 16 can also obtain the battery parameters of the battery pack 20 from the battery connection terminal 12. In one implementation, the communication terminal in the battery connection terminal 12 can transmit the obtained battery parameters to the controller 15, or transmit them to the controller 15 through the parameter detection module 16.

[0046] In this embodiment, the battery parameters may include at least one of the voltage, state of charge, state of health, remaining battery capacity, temperature, or maximum charging current of the battery pack 20. The controller 15 can determine whether a battery pack is connected to the battery connection terminal 12 according to the electrical parameters at the battery connection terminal 12, and can determine the charging mode, charging method, charging rate, charging current, etc. that the connected battery pack 20 can adapt to through the battery parameters.

[0047] In one embodiment, the controller 15 determines through the electrical parameters at the battery connection terminal 12 that only the first battery connection terminal 121 is connected to the battery pack 20, and through comprehensive judgment of the battery parameters, it is determined that the battery pack 20 can be charged at the maximum power. Then, the controller 15 can control the switch S1 to conduct and the switches S2 - S4 to turn off, connecting the first battery connection terminal 121 to the charging path L1 to charge the battery pack 20 at the maximum power. In one embodiment, the controller 15 determines through the electrical parameters at the battery connection terminal 12 that both the first battery connection terminal 121 and the second battery connection terminal 122 are connected to the battery pack 20, and when the voltages of the two battery packs 20 are basically the same or other battery parameters such as the battery power or battery life are basically the same, the controller 15 can control S1 and S3 to conduct, S2 and S4 to disconnect, or control S1 and S3 to disconnect, S2 and S4 to conduct, so as to charge the two battery packs 20 with basically the same charging mode, charging power, charging rate, or charging current.

[0048] In one embodiment, the controller 15 determines through the electrical parameters at the battery connection terminal 12 that both the first battery connection terminal 121 and the second battery connection terminal 122 are connected to the battery pack 20, but the two battery packs 20 differ significantly at least in terms of voltage parameters. For example, the voltage of the battery pack connected to the first battery connection terminal 121 is less than the voltage of the battery pack connected to the second battery connection terminal 122. Then, the controller 15 can control S1 to conduct and S2 to disconnect, so that the first battery connection terminal 121 is connected to the charging path L1, control S4 to conduct and S3 to disconnect, so that the second battery connection terminal 122 is connected to the charging path L2. Thus, the battery pack 20 at the first battery connection terminal 121 can be charged with a larger charging current and the voltage of the battery pack 20 at the first battery connection terminal 121 can be made consistent with the voltage of the battery pack 20 at the second battery connection terminal 122 in a shorter time. After the voltages of the two battery packs 20 are charged to be basically the same, the controller 15 can switch the conduction state of the switches, electrically couple the two battery connection terminals 12 to the charging path L1, and charge the two battery packs 20 with basically the same charging mode, charging power, charging rate, or charging current.

[0049] In one embodiment, during the process of charging with a battery pack 20 connected to one battery connection terminal 12, the controller 15 detects that another battery pack 20 is connected to the other battery connection terminal 12. If it is detected that the voltage of the newly connected battery pack 20 is not much different or basically the same as the voltage of the battery pack 20 being charged, the controller 15 can control S1 and S3 to conduct, S2 and S4 to disconnect, or control S1 and S3 to disconnect, S2 and S4 to conduct, so as to charge the two battery packs 20 with basically the same charging mode, charging power, charging rate, or charging current.

[0050] In one embodiment, during the process of a battery connection terminal 12 accessing a battery pack 20 and charging, the controller 15 detects that another battery connection terminal 12 has accessed the battery pack 20. If it is detected that the voltage of the newly accessed battery pack 20 is much higher than the voltage of the battery pack 20 that is being charged. Then regardless of which charging path the originally charged battery pack 20 is connected to, after the newly accessed battery pack with a higher voltage is connected, the controller 15 controls the on-off states of the control switches S1 to S4 to connect the originally charged battery pack to the charging path L1 and the newly accessed battery pack to the charging path L2. And after the voltages of the two packs are basically the same, change the on-off states of S1 - S4 so that both battery packs 20 are connected to the charging path L1 to charge the two battery packs 20 using basically the same charging mode or charging power or charging rate or charging current.

[0051] In one embodiment, during the process of a battery connection terminal 12 accessing a battery pack 20 and charging, the controller 15 detects that another battery connection terminal 12 has accessed the battery pack 20. If it is detected that the voltage of the newly accessed battery pack 20 is much lower than the voltage of the battery pack 20 that is being charged. Then regardless of which charging path the originally charged battery pack 20 is connected to, after the newly accessed battery pack with a higher voltage is connected, the controller 15 controls the on-off states of the control switches S1 to S4 to connect the newly accessed battery pack to the charging path L1 and the originally charged battery pack to the charging path L2. And after the voltages of the two packs are basically the same, change the on-off states of S1 - S4 so that both battery packs 20 are connected to the charging path L1 to charge the two battery packs 20 using basically the same charging mode or charging power or charging rate or charging current.

[0052] In one embodiment, during the process of both battery connection terminals 12 accessing battery packs 20 for charging, if one of the battery packs is unplugged, the controller 15 can change the switch elements S1 to S4 to switch the charging path of the remaining charging battery pack to L1. Of course, if the remaining charging battery pack is already connected to the charging path L1, there is no need to switch its charging path.

[0053] It should be noted that the charging modes in the above embodiments may include various charging modes such as single-pack priority charging, multi-pack balanced charging, fast charging, lifespan charging, constant current charging, constant voltage charging, constant power charging, or combinations of different charging modes. Among them, single-pack priority charging can be understood as that regardless of the number of battery packs connected to the charger, any one of the battery packs can be controlled to be charged first. For example, the maximum charging current that the battery pack can withstand is used for charging. The multi-pack balanced charging mode can be understood as a mode in which when multiple battery packs with basically the same battery parameters are connected to the charger 10 at the same time, the multiple battery packs can be charged at basically the same charging rate, charging voltage, charging power, etc. Of course, for multiple battery packs with relatively large differences in battery parameters, such as a large voltage difference, the single-pack priority charging mode can be used first to quickly charge the battery pack with a lower voltage to a voltage basically the same as that of the battery pack with a higher voltage and then perform balanced charging. The fast charging mode can be understood as a mode of quickly charging with the maximum charging current that the battery pack can withstand. The lifespan charging mode can be a charging mode in which the most suitable charging power, or the charging power is limited, or the upper limit voltage of charging is limited, etc. is selected based on the health state of the battery pack to ensure that the health state of the battery pack is basically not affected. As for constant current charging, constant voltage charging, or constant power charging, they are well-known battery charging modes and will not be elaborated here. In some embodiments, the above-mentioned multiple charging modes can be used in combination.

[0054] In the above embodiments, before the charging starts or during the charging process, the controller 15 can automatically switch or change the conduction states of the switching elements S1-S4 by detecting the electrical parameters at the battery connection terminals 12 and the battery parameters of the battery pack 20, thereby changing the charging path L for the battery pack 20 and controlling the charging circuit 14 to charge the battery pack in a suitable charging mode under the corresponding charging path. This makes the power distribution or the switching of the charging mode during the charging process of the multi-head charger more intelligent and ensures the charging efficiency of the multi-head charger for at least two battery packs.

[0055] In one embodiment, as Figure 5The controller 15 shown also includes a communication module 151. The communication module 151 can communicate with the communication module in the user terminal 40 or can communicate with the communication module in the power tool 30. In one embodiment, the communication module 151 may support wireless communication, such as wifi communication technology, Bluetooth communication technology, ZigBee communication technology, cellular network communication technology, infrared communication technology, etc. In one embodiment, the communication module 151 may also support limited communication, such as USB communication technology, power line communication technology (Power Line Communication, PLC communication), Ethernet communication technology (EtherNet, ETH communication), etc. Among them, the user terminal 40 may be various terminal devices such as a smart phone, a computer, a tablet computer, etc.

[0056] In this embodiment, the communication module 151 can obtain the mode selection instruction sent by the user through the user terminal 40, and control at least one charging path to conduct according to the mode selection instruction, and charge the battery pack based on the charging mode indicated by the mode selection instruction based on the conducted charging path. That is to say, the user can remotely control the charging mode of the charger 10 through the smart terminal.

[0057] In this embodiment, the controller 15 may have a priority setting for responding to the mode selection instruction or responding to parameter changes. In one embodiment, the controller 15 preferentially selects the mode selection instruction. Exemplarily, after the controller 15 detects the electrical parameters at the battery connection terminal 12, the battery parameters of the battery pack 20, and the mode selection instruction received by the communication module 151, the mode selection instruction can be used as the highest priority for response, and the mode selection instruction is preferentially responded to. For example, the mode selection instruction is a single-pack priority charging instruction for the battery pack connected to the first battery connection terminal 121 selected. At this time, even if the voltage of the battery pack at the second battery connection terminal 122 is lower than the voltage of the battery pack at the first battery connection terminal 121, the controller 15 also selects to preferentially charge the battery pack at the second battery connection terminal 122. In one embodiment, the controller 15 preferably controls the charging path of the battery pack 20 according to the battery parameters and adaptively matches the charging mode, or preferably controls the charging path of the battery pack 20 according to the battery parameters, and responds to the charging mode corresponding to the mode selection instruction after selecting the charging path. In other embodiments, the controller 15 may also set the order of more types of response instructions or parameter changes, which will not be listed one by one here.

[0058] In one embodiment, the charger 10 may further include a mode selector (not shown), which can be disposed at any convenient operating position of the charger 10. The user can control the charging mode of the charger 10 by operating the mode selector. In this embodiment, the mode selector may be a button, a knob, a touch element, etc. After the mode selector is operated, a mode selection instruction can be triggered. This mode selection instruction may be the same as or different from the mode selection instruction sent by the user terminal 40. Similarly, the controller 15 may have a priority setting for responding to control instructions or parameter changes. Details are not described herein again.

[0059] In one embodiment, the power supply device may be an inverter capable of converting direct current into alternating current and outputting it, or a power transfer device capable of transferring alternating current and outputting it, that is, the input of the power transfer device is alternating current and the output is also alternating current. The present application does not limit the specific name of the power supply device, and any device that can achieve the above functions is within the protection scope of the present application.

[0060] As Figure 6 shown, the power supply device 50 includes a housing 51, a first connection terminal 52, and a second connection terminal 53. Among them, the first connection terminal 52 is arranged to be able to access a power supply. In one embodiment, the first connection terminal 52 may be a battery connection terminal capable of accessing the battery pack 20. In one embodiment, the first connection terminal 52 may be an alternating current connection terminal capable of accessing alternating current. In one embodiment, the second connection terminal 53 may be a tool connection terminal capable of accessing the power tool 30, where the power tool 30 may be an alternating current-powered tool or a direct current-powered tool.

[0061] Continuing to refer to Figure 6 , a power supply circuit 54 is provided in the power supply device 50. The power supply circuit 54 has at least two power supply paths 541 and 542, and can convert the electric energy input from the power supply (such as the battery pack 20) and supply power to the power tool 30.

[0062] When the power supply device 50 is connected to at least two power tools 30, it can supply power to at least two power tools 30 simultaneously. However, when the electric energy stored in the battery pack 20 is insufficient, or the power supply power that the battery pack 20 can provide is less than the total power required by multiple power tools 30, or the total output power of the power supply device 50 is greater than the total input power of the device itself, the power supply device 50 can cut off all power supply paths 54 connected to the second connection terminal 53, and can conduct multiple power supply paths 54 when the total power of the power supply device 50 can support the power consumption of multiple power tools 30. However, in some special working conditions, frequent power outages of power tools or electrical equipment will affect their working quality, such as an electric cooker cooking in household electrical equipment, or a lamp lighting in a dark environment.

[0063] In one embodiment, with reference to Figure 7 the circuit structure within the power supply device 50 shown, the power supply device 50 may further include a DC / DC module 55, an inverter circuit 56, and a controller 57. Among them, a power supply switch 543 is provided in each power supply path 54. The controller 57 can at least control the on / off states of the respective power supply switches 543, thereby controlling the power supply states of the power supply paths 54 where the respective power supply switches 543 are located, that is, controlling whether the power supply paths 54 can output electrical energy to the second connection terminal 53 electrically coupled thereto.

[0064] In this embodiment, the controller 57 can control the on / off states of the respective power supply paths 54 according to the battery parameters of the battery pack 20 and / or the tool parameters of the power tool 30. For example, when the controller 57 detects that the battery pack 20 is in a fully charged state or the total output power of the battery pack 20 is greater than the total power consumption of all the electrical devices currently connected to the power supply device 50, it can control the power supply paths 54 of all the connected power tools or electrical devices to be turned on, so as to supply power to all the power tools or electrical devices connected to the power supply device 50. In this embodiment, the electrical parameters of the battery pack may include the output power of the battery pack, the supply voltage, the battery capacity, the total energy, or the temperature of the battery pack, etc. The tool parameters may include the operating voltage, operating current, or power of the power tool, etc.

[0065] In one embodiment, when at least two power supply paths 54 of the power supply device 50 are turned on to output electrical energy, the controller 57 can cut off at least one power supply path 54 according to the battery parameters and / or the tool parameters. That is to say, the controller 57 can disconnect all the power supply paths, or a part of the power supply paths and retain a part of the power supply paths for power supply. In this embodiment, the controller 57 can control the power supply switch 543 on the corresponding power supply path 54 to be turned off.

[0066] Exemplarily, when the output power of the battery pack 20 is less than the total power consumption of each power tool 30, one or more power supply paths can be randomly cut off to at least ensure that the total power consumption of the power tools 30 is less than or equal to the output power of the battery pack 20, or reduce the output power of one or more power supply paths to ensure that the continuous output power of the target power supply path can meet the continuous operation of the power tools connected to the power supply path. In one implementation, the controller 57 can select the power supply path 54 to be cut off according to the tool attributes or identification information of each power tool. Exemplarily, when the power supply device 50 is connected to at least two power tools, the controller 57 can obtain the identification information of the power tools, and then set the power supply priority for the tools according to the identification information. For example, the priority of the lighting lamp is the highest, the priority of the electric fan is the second, and the priority of the TV is the lowest. When the output power of the battery pack 20 is less than the total power consumption of each power tool 30, the controller 57 can first disconnect the power supply path connected to the TV, then disconnect the power supply path connected to the electric fan, and finally disconnect the power supply path connected to the lighting lamp. In one embodiment, when the output power of the battery pack 20 is less than the total power consumption of each power tool 30, the controller 57 can also keep the power supply path of the power-consuming device with the highest priority continuously powered and disconnect all other power supply paths, so as to ensure the continuous output of electrical energy of the power supply path with the highest priority to the greatest extent.

[0067] In one embodiment, the power supply device 50 may further include a mode operation member 58, and the mode operation member 58 can be set at any position of the power supply device 50, for example, at a position convenient for the user to operate, such as the upper end face, front end face, rear end face or side face of the power supply device 50. By operating the mode operation member 58, the user can select the power supply mode of the power supply device 50, and the power supply mode at least includes the selection of the power supply sequence, time or discharge power of the plurality of power supply paths 54, etc. After the mode operation member 58 is operated, a power supply mode instruction can be triggered, and the controller 57 can control the power supply mode of the power supply path 54 according to the power supply mode instruction. For example, when at least two power supply paths output electrical energy, the controller 57 can control the target power supply path to be continuously powered according to the power supply mode instruction. Among them, the target power supply path can be the power supply path that needs to be continuously powered as indicated by the power supply mode instruction, or the power supply path that needs to be continuously powered determined by the controller 57 according to the battery parameters and / or tool parameters. In one implementation, the mode operation member 58 can be a button, a knob, a touch member, etc.

[0068] In one embodiment, as Figure 8The power supply device 50 shown may further include a communication unit 571. The communication unit 501 can support wireless communication or wired communication, be capable of communicating with the user terminal 60, and at least obtain a power supply mode instruction sent by the user through the user terminal. Alternatively, the communication unit 571 may be disposed within the controller 57 or be a part of the controller 57. In one embodiment, the communication unit 571 can support wireless communication, such as wifi communication technology, Bluetooth communication technology, ZigBee communication technology, cellular network communication technology, infrared communication technology, etc. In one embodiment, the communication unit 501 can also support wired communication, such as USB communication technology, PLC communication, ETH communication, etc. Among them, the user terminal 60 can be various terminal devices such as a smart phone, a computer, a tablet computer, etc.

[0069] In one embodiment, the power supply mode instruction includes at least one or a combination of instructions such as the discharge sequence, discharge time, and discharge power of multiple power supply paths. For example, the power supply mode instruction may include a target power supply path, the time and power for which this path supplies power continuously.

[0070] In this embodiment, by operating the mode operation member 58 closely or remotely operating the user terminal 60, at least when the power supply device 50 has multiple power supply paths 54 supplying power simultaneously and the input power of the battery pack 20 is less than the total power of all electrical devices, at least one target power supply path is reserved to supply power to at least one power tool, avoiding the working quality of some power tools that cannot be powered off or cannot be powered off frequently.

[0071] The above shows and describes the basic principles, main features, and advantages of the present application. Those skilled in the art of this industry should understand that the above embodiments do not limit the present application in any form. Any technical solutions obtained by using equivalent replacement or equivalent transformation methods fall within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A charger, comprising: Housing; Multiple sets of battery connection terminals supported by the housing, the battery connection terminals being configured to access a battery pack; A charging circuit, including multiple charging paths, with at least two charging paths having different maximum output powers; Each set of the battery connection terminals can be electrically coupled to any one of the multiple charging paths; A controller, connected to the charging circuit; The controller is configured to: Select at least according to the battery parameters of the battery pack accessed by the battery connection terminals the charging path accessed by the battery connection terminals and select a charging mode adapted to the battery pack.

2. The charger according to claim 1, characterized in that, Multiple switching elements are connected in parallel to each charging path; one end of each switching element is connected to the output end of the charging path, and the other end is connected to multiple sets of the battery connection terminals.

3. The charger according to claim 2, characterized in that, The controller is configured to control the on-state of each switching element according to the electrical parameters at multiple sets of the battery connection terminals and the battery parameters of the battery pack accessed by the connection terminals, so as to turn on the corresponding charging path.

4. The charger according to claim 3, characterized in that, The electrical parameters at the battery connection terminals at least include the voltage at the battery connection terminals.

5. The charger according to claim 1, characterized in that, The battery parameters include at least one of the voltage, state of charge, state of health, and remaining power of the battery pack.

6. The charger according to claim 1, characterized in that, The controller includes: a communication module, configured to be able to receive a mode selection instruction sent by a user terminal; the controller is configured to be able to control at least one charging path to turn on and output charging electrical energy according to the charging mode indicated by the mode selection instruction.

7. The charger according to claim 6, characterized in that, The mode selection instruction includes at least one of a single-pack priority charging instruction, a multi-pack balanced charging instruction, a fast charging instruction, and a life charging instruction.

8. The charger according to claim 1, characterized in that, The maximum output power of at least one of the charging paths is substantially equal to the input power of the charger.

9. The charger according to claim 1, characterized in that, The maximum output power of at least one of the charging paths is substantially less than or equal to 80% of the input power of the charger.

10. The charger according to claim 1, characterized in that, The maximum output power of at least one of the charging paths is substantially less than or equal to 70% of the input power of the charger.

11. The charger according to claim 1, characterized in that, The maximum output power of at least one of the charging paths is substantially less than or equal to 60% of the input power of the charger.

12. A charger, comprising: Housing; Multiple sets of battery connection terminals supported by the housing, the battery connection terminals being configured to access a battery pack; A charging circuit, including multiple charging paths, with at least two charging paths having different maximum output powers; Each set of the battery connection terminals can be electrically coupled to any one of the multiple charging paths; A controller, at least connected to the charging circuit; The controller is configured to: Based on the received mode selection instruction, control at least one charging path to turn on and output charging electrical energy according to the charging mode indicated by the mode selection instruction.

13. The charger according to claim 12, characterized in that, The controller is configured to: control at least according to the battery parameters of the battery pack accessed by the battery connection terminals the charging path accessed by the battery connection terminals.

14. The charger according to claim 13, characterized in that, The battery parameters include at least one of the voltage, state of charge, state of health, and remaining power of the battery pack.

15. The charger according to claim 12, characterized in that, The mode selection instruction includes at least one of a single-pack priority charging instruction, a multi-pack balanced charging instruction, a fast charging instruction, and a life charging instruction.

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