Charging equipment and charging controller

Abstract

The invention discloses a charging device and a charging controller, which can effectively improve the overall charging efficiency when a plurality of battery packs are charged. The charging equipment comprises a shell which is provided with a plurality of battery pack plugging parts; wherein the plurality of battery pack plugging parts are used for plugging a plurality of battery packs, the plurality of battery packs can be selected from at least one of a first specification battery pack and a second specification battery pack, the capacity of the first specification battery pack is greater than that of the second specification battery pack, and the battery pack is used for supplying power to the electric tool; the charging unit is arranged in the shell, is configured to be connected with an external power supply and is coupled and connected with the plurality of battery pack plugging parts through a charging circuit; and the charging controller is in communication connection with the charging unit, and is configured to control the charging unit to charge the plurality of battery packs at the same time, and perform adaptive adjustment control on the charging total power according to the charging current of the plurality of battery packs.

Description

[TECHNICAL FIELD]

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of electric power tools, in particular to a charging device and a charging controller. [BACKGROUND]

[0002] With the continuous development of new energy technology, the application of various electric power tools in production and life is also more and more widely, and the use frequency of the battery pack used with the electric power tools is also higher and higher. The demand for fast charging of the battery pack is also correspondingly improved, and the charging efficiency for simultaneously charging multiple battery packs is also required to be higher.

[0003] For charging multiple battery packs, some related technical solutions will adopt the mode of charging each battery pack individually. Such mode has disadvantages in terms of time cost and vehicle integration. In some other related technical solutions, the charging sequence is controlled based on the voltage level of multiple battery packs. Such mode ignores the influence of the difference in state of charge of different battery packs, and the overall charging efficiency is poor. [SUMMARY]

[0004] Therefore, the embodiments of the present application provide a charging device and a charging controller, which can effectively improve the overall charging efficiency when charging multiple battery packs.

[0005] In one aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a charging device, comprising:

[0006] a housing, which is formed with multiple battery pack insertion parts;

[0007] The multiple battery pack insertion parts are used for inserting multiple battery packs, and the multiple battery packs can be at least one of a first specification battery pack and a second specification battery pack. The capacity of the first specification battery pack is greater than that of the second specification battery pack, and the battery pack is used to power the electric power tool.

[0008] a charging unit, which is arranged in the housing, is configured to be connected to an external power supply, and is coupled to the multiple battery pack insertion parts through a charging circuit, so as to transmit the power from the external power supply to the corresponding battery pack through the battery pack insertion part;

[0009] a charging controller, which is in communication connection with the charging unit, is configured to control the charging unit to simultaneously charge multiple battery packs, and to adaptively adjust and control the total charging power according to the charging current of the multiple battery packs.

[0010] Optionally, the charging circuit comprises multiple charging branches arranged in parallel, and the multiple charging branches are connected to the multiple battery packs arranged in the multiple battery insertion parts.

[0011] Optionally, the charging branch is provided with a switch assembly, and the charging controller is in communication connection with the switch assembly in the charging branch, so as to control the communication state of the switch assembly.

[0012] During charging, the charging controller is configured to control the switch assemblies in the charging branches to be in communication, so that the charging unit simultaneously charges the battery packs through the charging branches.

[0013] Optionally, the charging controller is configured to adaptively control the total charging power according to the charging currents of the battery packs, including:

[0014] The charging controller is configured to adaptively switch the charging state of the charging unit between the first charging state, the second charging state and the third charging state according to the change of the charging current of the battery pack.

[0015] When the charging state is in the first charging state, the charging controller controls the total charging power to gradually increase.

[0016] When the charging state is in the second charging state, the charging controller controls the total charging power to gradually decrease.

[0017] When the charging state is in the third charging state, the charging controller controls the total charging power to maintain at least one constant value.

[0018] Optionally, the change rate of the total charging power in the first charging state is lower than that in the second charging state.

[0019] Optionally, the charging controller is configured to adaptively switch the charging state of the charging unit between the first charging state, the second charging state and the third charging state according to the change of the charging current of the battery pack, including:

[0020] In response to the charging current of the battery pack being less than the corresponding rated charging current, the charging controller controls the charging state to be in the first charging state.

[0021] In response to the charging current of the battery pack being greater than the corresponding preset upper current threshold, the charging controller controls the charging state to be in the second charging state.

[0022] In response to the charging state being in the first charging state and the charging current of the battery pack being greater than the corresponding rated charging current, the charging controller controls the charging state to switch from the first charging state to the third charging state.

[0023] In response to the charging state being in the second charging state and the charging current of the plurality of battery packs being less than the corresponding rated charging current, the charging controller controls the charging state to switch from the second charging state to the third charging state;

[0024] In response to the charging state being in the third charging state and the charging current of the plurality of battery packs being less than the corresponding preset current lower limit threshold, the charging controller controls the charging state to switch from the third charging state to the first charging state.

[0025] Wherein, the preset upper current limit threshold of the battery pack is greater than the rated charging current of the battery pack, and the preset lower current limit threshold of the battery pack is less than the rated charging current of the battery pack.

[0026] Optionally, the charging controller is configured to adaptively switch the charging state of the charging unit between a first charging state, a second charging state, and a third charging state based on changes in the charging current of the multiple battery packs, including:

[0027] In response to the start of charging or the addition of a new battery pack to the charging device, the charging controller is configured to initialize the total charging power and control the charging state to be in the first charging state.

[0028] Optionally, the charging controller is configured to adaptively switch the charging state of the charging unit between a first charging state, a second charging state, and a third charging state based on changes in the charging current of the multiple battery packs, including:

[0029] In response to the removal of a battery pack from the charging device, if the charging current of any of the remaining battery packs is greater than the corresponding preset current upper limit threshold, the charging controller controls the charging state to be in the second charging state.

[0030] The removal of the battery pack from the charging device includes operatively disassembling and removing the battery pack, as well as cutting off power transmission to the battery pack due to it being fully charged or experiencing a battery malfunction.

[0031] Optionally, when the charging state is in the third charging state, the charging controller controls the total charging power to be maintained at at least one constant value, including:

[0032] In response to the charging voltage of any of the battery packs reaching full charge voltage, the charging controller updates the rated charging current of the battery pack and adjusts the total charging power based on the updated rated charging current, updating the total charging power to a new constant value and maintaining it.

[0033] Optionally, the charging controller updates the rated charging current of the battery pack, including:

[0034] The charging controller updates the rated charging current of the battery pack each time the charging voltage of the battery pack reaches the full charging voltage, based on a decreasing rule. The new rated charging current is lower than the original rated charging current after the update.

[0035] Optionally, the charging controller adjusts the total charging power based on the updated rated charging current, updating the total charging power to a new constant value, including:

[0036] The charging controller calculates and determines the charging power adjustment value based on the difference between the updated rated charging current and the original rated charging current of the battery pack, and the corresponding full charge voltage of the battery pack.

[0037] A new constant value is determined based on the difference between the total charging power before the rated charging current update and the adjusted charging power value.

[0038] Optionally, after updating the settings of the battery pack, the charging controller adaptively switches the charging state based on the new rated charging current.

[0039] Optionally, in response to the rated charging current of any battery pack being updated to be less than or equal to the lower limit threshold of the charging current corresponding to that battery pack, and the charging voltage of that battery pack reaching the full charging voltage again, the charging controller is further configured to determine that the battery pack is fully charged and control the disconnection of the power transmission of the charging unit to the battery pack.

[0040] Wherein, the lower limit threshold of the charging current is much smaller than the rated charging current of the corresponding battery pack.

[0041] Optionally, the charging controller is configured to communicate with multiple battery packs to obtain the status information of the multiple battery packs in real time;

[0042] Before controlling the charging unit to charge, the charging controller communicates with the charging unit to determine whether the charging unit is operating normally.

[0043] In response to the charging unit operating normally, the charging controller determines the battery status of multiple battery packs based on the real-time acquired status information;

[0044] The charging controller controls the charging unit to charge the battery packs that are in normal condition simultaneously.

[0045] In another aspect, embodiments of this specification provide a charging controller applied to a charging device, the charging device comprising:

[0046] The casing has multiple battery pack connectors.

[0047] The plurality of battery pack connectors are used to connect to a plurality of battery packs. The plurality of battery packs can be at least one of a first specification battery pack and a second specification battery pack. The capacity of the first specification battery pack is greater than that of the second specification battery pack. The battery packs are used to power the power tools.

[0048] A charging unit is disposed within the housing and configured to connect to an external power source and electrically coupled to multiple battery pack connectors via a charging circuit, so as to transmit power from the external power source to the corresponding battery pack via the battery pack connectors.

[0049] The charging controller is communicatively connected to the charging unit and is configured to control the charging unit to charge multiple battery packs simultaneously, and to adaptively adjust the total charging power according to the charging current of the multiple battery packs.

[0050] As can be seen from the above, the charging device and charging controller provided by one or more optional embodiments of this specification have the following beneficial technical effects:

[0051] In the charging device and charging controller, the charging unit controls the charging of multiple battery packs connected in parallel to charge simultaneously. During the charging process, the charging controller adaptively adjusts the total charging power output by the charging unit in the charging device according to the changes in the charging current of the multiple battery packs. This method of charging multiple battery packs simultaneously can also avoid the influence caused by the difference in the state of charge of different battery packs, ensuring that the multiple battery packs always have high charging efficiency and effectively improving the overall charging efficiency. [Image Description]

[0052] The features and advantages of the invention will be more clearly understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, which are schematic and should not be construed as limiting the invention in any way. In the drawings:

[0053] Figure 1 This specification shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a charging device provided by one or more optional embodiments;

[0054] Figure 2This specification shows yet another structural schematic diagram of a charging device provided by one or more alternative embodiments;

[0055] Figure 3 This specification shows a block diagram illustrating a charging function in a charging device provided by one or more optional embodiments;

[0056] Figure 4 This specification shows a schematic diagram of a charging circuit structure in a charging device provided by one or more optional embodiments;

[0057] Figure 5 This specification shows a schematic diagram of charging state switching in a charging device provided by one or more optional embodiments;

[0058] Figure 6 This diagram illustrates an adaptive adjustment of charging power after the battery pack charging voltage is fully charged in a charging device according to one or more optional embodiments provided in this specification.

[0059] Figure 7 This diagram illustrates the change in total charging power in a charging device provided by one or more optional embodiments of this specification, where the charging controller adaptively adjusts the total charging power. [Detailed Implementation]

[0060] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0061] With the continuous development of new energy technologies, the application of various power tools in production and daily life is becoming more and more widespread. The frequency of use of battery packs used with power tools is also increasing, which in turn increases the demand for fast charging of battery packs and places higher demands on the charging efficiency of charging multiple battery packs at the same time.

[0062] For charging multiple battery packs, some technical solutions involve charging each battery pack individually. This approach has disadvantages in terms of time cost and overall vehicle integration. Other solutions control the charging sequence based on the voltage levels of the multiple battery packs. However, this method ignores the impact of differences in the state of charge (SOC) of different battery packs, resulting in poor overall charging efficiency.

[0063] To address the aforementioned problems, the purpose of this specification is to provide a charging device and a charging controller. The charging controller controls the charging unit to charge multiple battery packs connected in parallel simultaneously. During the charging process, the total charging power output by the charging unit is adaptively adjusted and controlled according to the changes in the charging current of the multiple battery packs. This method allows multiple battery packs to be charged simultaneously, and also avoids the impact caused by differences in the state of charge of different battery packs, effectively improving the overall charging efficiency.

[0064] For the purposes described above, one aspect of this specification provides a charging device.

[0065] refer to Figure 1 , 2 As shown, the charging device includes: a housing 100 having a plurality of battery pack connectors 102.

[0066] like Figure 1 As shown, in some alternative embodiments, a plurality of the battery pack connectors 102 may be formed on the outer side of the housing 100 body. For example... Figure 2 As shown, the housing 100 can form an internal compartment with a certain space, and a plurality of battery pack insertion parts 102 can be disposed on the inner wall of the internal compartment formed by the housing 100.

[0067] The plurality of battery pack connectors 102 are used to connect to a plurality of battery packs 200.

[0068] The plurality of battery packs 200 may be at least one of a first-specification battery pack and a second-specification battery pack, wherein the capacity of the first-specification battery pack is greater than that of the second-specification battery pack, and the battery packs are used to power power tools. (Reference) Figure 1 As shown, the two battery packs 200 plugged into the charging device are a first-specification battery pack and a second-specification battery pack, respectively.

[0069] The differences between the first-specification battery pack and the second-specification battery pack include, but are not limited to, differences in battery pack capacity, voltage, battery internal resistance, weight, size, energy density, cell type, charge information, and battery health status information.

[0070] In some alternative embodiments, the difference between the first-specification battery pack and the second-specification battery pack lies in their battery pack capacities. The first-specification battery pack has a larger capacity than the second-specification battery pack. The second-specification battery pack is configured to power handheld garden tools. For example, the second-specification battery pack can power garden tools such as lawnmowers, pruning machines, hair dryers, and chainsaws. Furthermore, the second-specification battery pack can also power torque-output tools such as electric drills and hammer drills; sawing tools such as circular saws, jigsaws, and reciprocating saws; or grinding tools such as angle grinders and sanders. The first and second-specification battery packs can also be used to power large power tools, such as electric lawnmowers, electric snowplows, electric air compressors, electric car washes, and electric multi-purpose vehicles.

[0071] In some alternative embodiments, the difference between the first-specification battery pack and the second-specification battery pack lies in the type of battery cells used. For example, the first-specification battery pack and the second-specification battery pack can respectively use lithium iron phosphate cells, ternary lithium cells, or nickel-cadmium battery cells, lead-acid battery cells, graphene cells, etc.

[0072] The charging device can charge at least one of the first-specification battery pack and the second-specification battery pack. This allows the charging device to be compatible with battery packs of different specifications, greatly improving the adaptability of the charging device and providing users with more efficient and flexible charging capabilities.

[0073] The charging unit 104 is disposed within the housing 100 and configured to connect to an external power source. It is coupled to multiple battery pack 200 connectors via a charging circuit 1040 to transmit power from the external power source to the corresponding battery pack 200 via the battery pack connector 102. In some optional embodiments, the battery pack connector 102 is provided with charging terminals adapted to the battery pack. When a battery pack is plugged into the battery pack connector 102, the charging terminals can mate with the charging ports in the corresponding battery pack. Through the mutually cooperating charging terminals and charging ports, the charging unit 104 can transmit power from the external power source to the battery pack.

[0074] like Figure 3 The diagram shown is a functional block diagram of a charging device provided in an embodiment of this specification. In the charging device, the charging unit 104 is connected to an external charging power source and can adjust the power from the external charging power source to adapt to the power of multiple battery packs 200, thereby facilitating the charging of the multiple battery packs 200. For example, the charging unit 104 can convert the high-voltage AC power from the external charging power source into low-voltage DC power suitable for charging.

[0075] The charging unit 104 is electrically coupled to the plurality of battery packs 200 via a charging circuit 1040, and transmits power to the plurality of battery packs 200. Furthermore, the charging unit 104 is communicatively connected to the charging controller 106, which can adjust and control the operating state and output power of the charging unit 104.

[0076] The charging controller 106 is communicatively connected to the charging unit 104 and is configured to control the charging unit 104 to charge multiple battery packs 200 simultaneously, and to adaptively adjust the total charging power according to the charging current of the multiple battery packs 200.

[0077] The charging controller 106 can communicate with multiple battery packs 200 via multiple battery pack connectors 102, thereby acquiring the status information of the multiple battery packs 200 in real time and determining the corresponding charging current of the multiple battery packs 200. The charging controller 106 controls the charging unit 104 to charge the multiple battery packs 200 simultaneously through the charging circuit 1040. During the charging process, the charging controller 106 can adaptively adjust the total charging power output by the charging unit 104 for the multiple battery packs 200 according to the changes in the corresponding charging current of the multiple battery packs 200. The charging current, as one of the most important characteristic parameters of the battery pack 200, can characterize the charging state of the charging unit during the charging process. Specifically, the charging controller 106 can control the charging unit 104 to increase or decrease the total output charging power in a timely manner, or control the charging unit 104 to maintain the total charging power at a specific value, based on the changes in the charging current corresponding to the multiple battery packs 200, so that the charging current corresponding to the multiple battery packs 200 can be maintained at a higher current level, thereby ensuring that the multiple battery packs 200 always maintain a high charging efficiency.

[0078] In some optional embodiments, the charging controller 106 communicates with the charging unit 104 via RS485 communication to set the charging power and start / stop charging. The charging controller 106 also establishes communication with the multiple battery packs 200 via serial communication to obtain the status of each battery pack.

[0079] In the charging device, the charging controller 106 controls the charging unit 104 to charge multiple battery packs 200 connected in parallel simultaneously. During the charging process, the charging controller 106 adaptively adjusts the total charging power output by the charging unit 104 according to the changes in the charging current of the multiple battery packs 200. This method of charging multiple battery packs 200 simultaneously can also avoid the influence caused by the difference in the state of charge of different battery packs, ensuring that the multiple battery packs 200 always have high charging efficiency, and effectively improving the overall charging efficiency.

[0080] In some optional embodiments, the charging circuit 1040 includes multiple charging branches arranged in parallel, each of which is correspondingly connected to a plurality of battery packs 200. During charging, the charging controller 106 can control all of the multiple charging branches to be turned on, thereby enabling the charging unit 104 to charge the multiple battery packs simultaneously.

[0081] In some optional embodiments, each of the multiple charging branches is provided with a switching component, and the charging controller 106 is communicatively connected to the multiple switching components to control the connection state of the multiple switching components. During charging, the charging controller 106 can control the multiple switching components to be connected, so that the charging unit 104 can charge multiple battery packs simultaneously through multiple conductive charging branches. The switching components can be physical mechanical switches or electronic switches, such as MOSFETs, Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs), or relays.

[0082] like Figure 4 As shown, in some optional embodiments, the switching component is a MOSFET. The first MOSFET and the second MOSFET can be connected in series in each charging branch to form the switching component.

[0083] Both the first MOSFET and the second MOSFET include a body diode. In the second MOSFET, the conduction direction of the body diode is the same as the direction of the charging current, while in the first MOSFET, the conduction direction of the body diode is opposite to the direction of the charging current, which points from the charging unit 104 to the battery pack 200.

[0084] During charging, the charging controller 106 can control multiple first MOS transistors in multiple charging branches to always be in the on state, and achieve charging control by controlling the on state of multiple second MOS transistors.

[0085] refer to Figure 4As shown, taking two battery packs 200 as an example, the two battery packs 200 can be represented as PACK1 and PACK2, and the corresponding charging circuit 1040 includes two charging branches arranged in parallel.

[0086] During charging, multiple battery packs 200 are connected to the charging unit 104 through the charging circuit 1040. The charging unit 104 transmits power from the external charging power source to the multiple battery packs 200. In the figure, P+ and P- represent the access ports of the charging unit 104, that is, the charging power output ports of the charging unit 104.

[0087] In both charging branches of the charging circuit 1040, a first MOSFET (Q1) and a second MOSFET (Q2) are connected in series. Both the first MOSFET and the second MOSFET include a body diode. Specifically, the conduction direction of the body diode in the first MOSFET (Q1) is opposite to the direction of the charging current, while the conduction direction of the body diode in the second MOSFET (Q2) is the same as the direction of the charging current, which points from the charging unit 104 to the battery pack 200.

[0088] The charging controller 106 is connected to a plurality of MOSFETs to control the on / off state of the plurality of MOSFETs. During charging, the charging controller 106 controls a plurality of first MOSFETs (Q1) in a plurality of charging branches to always be in the on state, and achieves charging control by controlling the on state of a plurality of second MOSFETs (Q2).

[0089] like Figure 5 As shown, in one or more optional embodiments of the charging device provided in this specification, the battery management system is configured to adaptively adjust and control the total charging power according to the charging current of the plurality of battery packs, including:

[0090] The charging controller 106 is configured to control the charging unit 104 to adaptively switch between a first charging state, a second charging state, and a third charging state for the multiple battery packs 200 according to the changes in the charging current of the multiple battery packs 200.

[0091] In the first charging state, the charging controller 106 controls the total charging power output by the charging unit 104 to gradually increase. At the start of charging, the total charging power of the charging unit 104 is initialized to zero. The charging controller 106 can first control the charging unit 104 to be in the first charging state, that is, control the total charging power to gradually increase from zero.

[0092] In the second charging state, the charging controller 106 controls the total charging power output by the charging unit 104 to gradually decrease. During the charging process, as the total charging power changes, one or more battery packs may experience excessive charging current. For example, when a battery pack is fully charged and removed from the charging queue, the charging current of other battery packs may increase significantly. To address this, the charging controller 106 can control the charging unit 104 to be in the second charging state, causing the total charging power to gradually decrease, thereby suppressing excessive charging current in one or more battery packs.

[0093] In some optional embodiments, the rate of change of the total charging power in the first charging state is lower than the rate of change in the second charging state. The rate of change refers to the absolute value of the change in total charging power per unit time. Those skilled in the art will understand that when one or more of the battery packs experience excessive charging current, there may be a risk of overcharging, requiring timely suppression of the charging current. Therefore, a larger rate of change is used when controlling the reduction of the total charging power. That is, the total charging power is controlled to increase slowly in the first charging state, while the total charging power is controlled to decrease rapidly in the second charging state.

[0094] In the third charging state, the charging controller 106 controls the total charging power output by the charging unit 104 to maintain at least one constant value. During the charging process, when the total charging power gradually increases or decreases to a certain extent, it enters a relatively stable charging stage. The charging controller 106 can then control the charging unit 104 to enter the third charging stage, thereby maintaining the total charging power at at least one constant value.

[0095] like Figure 5 As shown, in one or more optional embodiments of the charging device provided in this specification, the charging controller is configured to control the charging unit to adaptively switch between a first charging state, a second charging state, and a third charging state for the multiple battery packs 200 according to the changes in the charging current of the multiple battery packs, including:

[0096] In response to the fact that the charging current of all the multiple battery packs is less than the corresponding rated charging current, the charging controller controls the charging state to be in the first charging state. It should be noted that since the multiple battery packs may be of different specifications, the corresponding rated charging currents of the multiple battery packs may also be different.

[0097] In response to the charging current of any of the battery packs being greater than the corresponding preset current upper limit threshold, the charging controller controls the charging state to be in the second charging state.

[0098] Wherein, the preset current upper limit threshold corresponding to the battery pack 200 is greater than the rated charging current of the battery pack. For example, the rated charging current of the battery pack can be denoted as I. e The corresponding preset current upper limit threshold Specifically, the preset current upper limit threshold can be set to a value of

[0099] In response to the charging state being in the first charging state and the charging current of any of the battery packs being greater than the corresponding rated charging current, the charging controller controls the charging state to switch from the first charging state to the third charging state.

[0100] When the charging current of any one of the battery packs is greater than the corresponding rated charging current I e The charging current of the battery pack is already at a high level. Further increasing the total charging power could lead to overcharging, therefore it is not advisable to continue increasing the total charging power. The charging controller 106 can control the charging state to switch from the first charging state to the third charging state, stopping the total charging power from increasing further and maintaining it at a constant value.

[0101] In response to the charging state being in the second charging state and the charging current of the plurality of battery packs being less than the corresponding rated charging current, the charging controller controls the charging state to switch from the second charging state to the third charging state.

[0102] When the charging current of multiple battery packs is less than the corresponding rated charging current I e This indicates that multiple battery packs have moved away from a high charging level, and further reducing the total charging power would lead to a low overall charging efficiency. Therefore, it is not advisable to continue reducing the total charging power. The charging controller 106 can control the charging state to switch from the second charging state to the third charging state, so that the total charging power stops decreasing and is maintained at a corresponding constant value.

[0103] In response to the charging state being in the third charging state and the charging current of the plurality of battery packs being less than the corresponding preset current lower limit threshold, the charging controller 106 controls the charging state to switch from the third charging state to the first charging state.

[0104] In the third charging state, the total charging power is maintained at a constant value for continuous charging. During continuous charging, since the total charging power remains constant, a gradual increase in the charging voltage of the multiple battery packs or a change in the charging state from unbalanced to balanced charging may cause a decrease in the charging current. If the charging current of the multiple battery packs drops below the corresponding preset lower charging current threshold, it indicates that the multiple battery packs have fallen out of a higher charging level. Therefore, the charging controller 106 can control the charging state to switch from the third charging state to the first charging state, and control the total charging power to gradually increase or decrease, so that the multiple battery packs return to a higher charging level.

[0105] Wherein, the preset current lower limit threshold of the battery pack is less than the rated charging current of the battery pack. For example, the corresponding preset current lower limit threshold of the battery pack Specifically, the preset current lower limit threshold can be set to a value of

[0106] Those skilled in the art will understand that the preset current upper limit threshold With the preset lower current threshold The settings can be flexibly configured according to actual conditions, such as the preset current upper limit threshold. It can also be set to 1.05I. e 1.15I e 1.2I e etc., the preset current lower limit threshold It can also be set to 0.95I e 0.85I e 0.8I e wait.

[0107] In the charging device, when the charging controller 106 controls the charging state to adaptively switch according to the corresponding charging current changes of the multiple battery packs, it compares the corresponding charging current of the multiple battery packs with their respective rated charging current, preset upper current threshold, and preset lower current threshold, and adjusts the charging state in a timely manner according to the comparison results, controlling the total charging power to increase, decrease, or remain at a constant value, thereby ensuring that the multiple battery packs maintain a high charging level for as long as possible throughout the entire charging process, ensuring that the multiple battery packs always have high charging efficiency, and effectively improving the overall charging efficiency.

[0108] like Figure 5As shown, in one or more optional embodiments of the charging device provided in this specification, the charging controller is configured to control the charging unit to adaptively switch between a first charging state, a second charging state, and a third charging state for the multiple battery packs according to the changes in the charging current of the corresponding multiple battery packs, and further includes:

[0109] In response to the start of charging or the addition of a new battery pack to the charging device, the charging controller is configured to initialize the total charging power and control the charging state to be in the first charging state.

[0110] When the charging controller 106 controls the charging unit 104 to start charging, it initializes the total charging power output by the charging unit 104, controls the multiple charging branches to be turned on, and controls the total charging power to change from zero. At the beginning of charging, the charging current of the multiple battery packs is at a low level. If the corresponding charging current of the multiple battery packs is less than the corresponding rated charging current, the charging controller 106 can control the charging unit 104 to be in the first charging state for the multiple battery packs 200, so that the total charging power output by the charging unit 104 gradually increases from zero.

[0111] When a new battery pack is connected to the charging device, the charging controller 106 can re-initialize the total charging power and control the charging state to be in the first charging state, so that the total charging power output by the charging unit 104 gradually increases from zero again.

[0112] like Figure 5 As shown, in one or more optional embodiments of the charging device provided in this specification, the charging controller is configured to control the charging unit to adaptively switch between a first charging state, a second charging state, and a third charging state for the multiple battery packs according to the changes in the charging current of the corresponding multiple battery packs, and further includes:

[0113] In response to the removal of a battery pack from the charging device, if the charging current of any of the remaining battery packs is greater than the corresponding preset current upper limit threshold, the charging controller 106 controls the charging state to be in the second charging state.

[0114] The removal of the battery pack from the charging device includes operatively disassembling and removing the battery pack, as well as cutting off power transmission to the battery pack due to it being fully charged or experiencing a battery malfunction.

[0115] In the charging device, situations such as user-operated removal of the battery pack, active disconnection of power supply due to battery malfunction, or disconnection of power supply when the battery pack is fully charged all constitute battery pack removal. When a battery pack is removed, the current in the corresponding charging branch of the removed battery pack is interrupted, causing a sudden increase in the charging current of the other battery packs connected in parallel. In this case, it is necessary to determine whether the changed charging current of the remaining battery packs exceeds the corresponding preset current upper limit threshold. If the charging current of any of the remaining battery packs exceeds the corresponding preset current upper limit threshold, it indicates a potential risk of overcharging. Therefore, the charging controller 106 can control the charging state to switch to the second charging state, gradually reducing the total charging power.

[0116] like Figure 6 As shown, in a charging device provided by one or more optional embodiments of this specification, when the charging state is in the third charging state, the charging controller controls the total charging power to be maintained at at least one constant value, including:

[0117] In response to the charging voltage of any of the battery packs reaching full charge voltage, the charging controller 106 updates the rated charging current of the battery pack and adjusts the total charging power based on the updated rated charging current, updating the total charging power to a new constant value and maintaining it.

[0118] When the charging voltage of any battery pack in the charging device reaches the corresponding full charging voltage for the first time, it indicates that the battery pack has entered the constant voltage charging stage. In this case, the charging controller 106 can adjust and control the total charging power to reduce the corresponding charging current of the battery pack.

[0119] In some optional embodiments, the charging controller 106 can obtain the real-time charging voltage of the multiple battery packs 200 by communicating with them. When it is detected that the charging voltage of any battery pack 200 reaches its corresponding full-charge voltage, the charging controller 106 can update the rated charging current of that battery pack 200, making the updated rated charging current lower than the original rated charging current, and adjust the total charging power based on the updated rated charging current, so that the total charging power is updated and maintained at a new constant value, thereby controlling the reduction of the corresponding charging current of the battery pack.

[0120] Specifically, the charging controller 106 can update the rated charging current of the battery pack 200 based on a decreasing rule. That is, every time the charging voltage of the battery pack 200 reaches the full charging voltage, the charging controller 106 updates the rated charging current of the battery pack 200, and the rated charging current after each update is lower than the original rated charging current before the update.

[0121] refer to Figure 6 As shown, for a certain battery pack 200 in the charging device, the corresponding rated charging current of the battery pack 200 before reaching the constant voltage charging stage can be expressed as I. e The charging voltage of the battery pack 200 first reaches the corresponding full charge voltage V. f At that time, the charging controller 106 updates the rated charging current of the battery pack 200, and the updated rated charging current can be expressed as I. e-1 I e-1 e Specifically, the updated rated charging current could be, for example, I. e-1 =0.7I e .

[0122] During the charging process, if the charging voltage of the battery pack 200 reaches the corresponding full charge voltage V again... f The charging controller 106 then updates the rated charging current of the battery pack 200 again. The updated rated charging current can be expressed as I. e-2 I e-2 e-1 e Specifically, the updated rated charging current could be, for example, I. e-2 =0.5I e .

[0123] Similarly, each time the charging voltage of the battery pack 200 reaches the full charging voltage, the charging controller 106 updates the corresponding rated charging current of the battery pack 200 until the rated charging current is updated to the lower limit threshold I of the charging current. e-min The lower limit threshold of the charging current I e-min Much smaller than the initial rated charging current I of the corresponding battery pack e The lower limit threshold of the charging current can be set to, for example, I. e-min =0.1I e During this process, the repeatedly updated rated charging current can be expressed as I. e-1 ,I e-2 ,I e-3 …I e-min ​​​For example, the corresponding specific value could be 0.7I. e 0.5I e 0.3I e ,…,0.1I e Those skilled in the art will understand that the rated charging current is updated based on a decreasing trend, and the value of the rated charging current after multiple updates can be flexibly set according to actual conditions. For example, a specific value could be set to 0.9I. e 0.8I e 0.7I e ,…,0.1I e .

[0124] When the charging controller 106 updates the rated charging current of the battery pack 200 to be less than or equal to the lower limit threshold I of the charging current. e-min Furthermore, if the charging voltage of the battery pack 200 reaches the full charging voltage again, it indicates that the battery pack 200 is fully charged. The charging controller 106 can control the cutting off of power transmission from the charging unit 104 to the battery pack 200. Specifically, the charging controller 106 can cut off the power transmission of the corresponding charging branch by controlling the on / off state of the switching component in the corresponding charging branch. Those skilled in the art will understand that the above-described determination that the battery pack 200 is fully charged and the cutting off of power transmission of the corresponding charging branch can also be regarded as the removal of the battery pack.

[0125] It should be noted that after updating the rated charging current of the battery pack 200, the charging controller 106 adaptively switches the charging state based on the updated rated charging current. For example, in the third charging state, the charging current of a certain battery pack 200 may differ from the rated charging current I. e Approaching, when the charging voltage of the battery pack 200 reaches the corresponding full charge voltage V f The charging controller 106 updates and sets the corresponding rated charging current of the battery pack 200 to I. e-1 =0.7I e During subsequent charging process, the charging state switching control is also based on the updated rated charging current I. e-1 To make judgments and controls.

[0126] After updating the rated charging current of the battery pack 200, the charging controller 106 also adjusts the total charging power based on the updated rated charging current, and updates the total charging power to a new constant value and maintains it.

[0127] In some alternative embodiments, the method by which the charging controller 106 adjusts the total charging power based on the updated rated charging current includes:

[0128] The charging controller 106 calculates and determines the charging power adjustment value based on the difference between the updated rated charging current and the original rated charging current corresponding to the battery pack 200, and the corresponding full-charge voltage of the battery pack; and determines a new constant value based on the difference between the total charging power before the rated charging current is updated and the charging power adjustment value.

[0129] With the original rated charging current I e After updating the settings, the rated charging current I e-1 =0.7I e Let's take an example to illustrate:

[0130] The charging controller 106 determines the difference in rated charging current before and after the update:

[0131] ΔI e =I e-1 -I e =0.7I e -I e =-0.3I e

[0132] Combined with the full charge voltage V of the battery pack f Calculate and determine the charging power adjustment value:

[0133] ΔP=ΔI e ×V f =-0.3I e ·V f

[0134] A new constant value is determined based on the total charging power before the update and the adjusted charging power value:

[0135] P′ all =P all +ΔP=P all -0.3I e ·V f

[0136] Among them, P all P′ represents the total charging power before the update. all This represents the new constant value corresponding to the total charging power after the settings are updated, and ΔP represents the charging power adjustment value.

[0137] The charging controller 106 adjusts the total charging power based on the updated rated charging current, updating the total charging power to a new constant value P′. allDuring subsequent charging processes, when the charging state is in the third charging state, the charging controller 106 can maintain the total charging power output by the charging unit 104 at a new constant value P′. all .

[0138] The following description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, details the process by which the charging controller adaptively adjusts the total charging power. (Reference) Figure 7 The diagram shown illustrates the change in total charging power during the charging process of the charging controller 106 controlling the charging unit 104 to charge multiple battery packs 200 in a charging device provided by one or more optional embodiments of this specification.

[0139] like Figure 7 As shown, at time t0, the charging controller 106 controls the charging unit 104 to start charging, and the initial charging power output by the charging unit 104 is 0.

[0140] At the beginning of charging, the charging current of each of the battery packs 200 is less than the corresponding rated charging current I3. The charging controller 106 can control the charging state of the charging unit 104 to be in the first charging state, that is, control the total charging power to gradually increase, such as... Figure 7 The time period from t0 to t1 is shown.

[0141] At time t1, the charging current of one or more of the battery packs 200 increases to be greater than the corresponding rated charging current I. e At this point, continuing to increase the total charging power may cause the battery pack to overcharge. Therefore, the charging controller 106 can control the charging state to switch to the third charging state, that is, stop increasing the total charging power at time t1, and control the total charging power P1 at time t1 to maintain the total charging power at P1.

[0142] Between times t1 and t2, the charging state is in the third charging state, and the total charging power is maintained at P1. During this process, the charging current and charging voltage of the multiple battery packs 200 also change continuously. Due to the constant power, the voltage increases, or the multiple battery packs change from an unbalanced state to a basically balanced state, resulting in a decrease in charging current.

[0143] At time t2, the charging current of all the battery packs 200 in the charging device drops below the corresponding preset current lower limit threshold, indicating that all the battery packs have left the higher charging level. Therefore, the charging controller 106 can control the charging state to switch from the third charging state to the first charging state, and control the total charging power to gradually increase or decrease, so that the battery packs return to the higher charging level. Figure 7The time period from t2 to t3 is shown.

[0144] At time t3, the charging current of one or more of the battery packs 200 increases again to be greater than the corresponding rated charging current I. e At this point, continuing to increase the total charging power may cause the battery pack to overcharge. Therefore, the charging controller 106 can control the charging state to switch from the first charging state to the third charging state, that is, stop increasing the total charging power at time t3, and control the total charging power P2 at time t3 to maintain the total charging power at P2.

[0145] Between times t3 and t4, the charging state is in the third charging state, and the total charging power is maintained at P2. As the charging process continues, the corresponding charging voltages of the multiple battery packs 200 will also continuously increase.

[0146] At time t4, the charging current of one or more of the battery packs 200 increases to the corresponding full charge voltage V. f This indicates that one or more of the battery packs 200 have reached the constant voltage charging stage. At this time, the charging controller 106 can be updated and set according to the corresponding rated charging current of one or more battery packs 200. Taking a battery pack 200 reaching full charge voltage as an example, its corresponding rated charging current I... e Update settings to I e-1 =0.7I e The corresponding constant value of the total charging power is also updated and set to P′. all =P3.

[0147] Between times t4 and t6, after updating the rated charging current, the charging controller 106 adaptively adjusts the total charging power based on the updated rated charging current. This adjustment is based on the updated rated charging current I. e-1 =0.7I e The corresponding preset current upper limit threshold for the battery pack 200 is updated to... The charging current of the battery pack 200 may exceed the corresponding preset current upper limit threshold. The charging controller 106 then controls the charging state to switch to a second charging state, gradually reducing the total charging power. During this process, the charging current of multiple battery packs 200 in the charging device is less than the corresponding preset current lower limit threshold. The charging controller 106 then controls the charging state to switch to a first charging state, gradually increasing the charging power.

[0148] At time t6, the battery pack 200 with the updated rated charging current has a corresponding charging current that is greater than the updated rated charging current I. e-1The charging controller 106 can control the charging state to switch to the third charging state, that is, stop increasing the total charging power at time t6, and maintain the total charging power at a new constant value P3.

[0149] Between times t6 and t7, the charging controller 106 performs control similar to that between times t3 and t6 on the total charging power. At time t6, the charging controller 106 controls the charging state to switch to the third charging state. When the charging voltage of the battery pack 200 reaches full charge voltage again, the charging controller 106 updates the corresponding rated charging current I of the battery pack 200. e Update settings to I e-2 =0.5I e The corresponding constant value of the total charging power is also updated and set to P′. all =P4.

[0150] At times t7 to t8, when the full charge voltage of the battery pack 200 reaches the full charge voltage again, the charging controller 106 updates its corresponding rated full charge current setting again, and the rated full charge voltage is updated to the lower limit threshold I of the charging current. e-2 =I e-min =0.1I e The corresponding constant value of the total charging power is also updated and set to P′. all =P5.

[0151] At time t8, the charging controller 106 controls the charging state to switch to the third charging state.

[0152] At time t9, when the charging voltage of the battery pack 200 reaches the full charging voltage again, it can be determined that the battery pack 200 is fully charged. The charging controller 106 can then control the removal of this battery pack. The current in the corresponding charging branch of the removed battery pack is cut off, causing a sudden increase in the charging current of the other battery packs connected in parallel. In this case, the charging current of the remaining battery packs 200, after the change, exceeds the corresponding preset current upper limit threshold. When the charging current of any of the remaining battery packs exceeds the corresponding preset current upper limit threshold, the charging controller 106 can control the charging state to switch to the second charging state, causing the total charging power to gradually decrease.

[0153] In the subsequent charging process, the charging controller 106 can use the same control logic as described above to control the total charging power until the last battery pack 200 is fully charged, at which point the charging controller 106 controls the total charging power to drop to zero.

[0154] like Figure 3As shown, in one or more optional embodiments of the charging device provided in this specification, the charging controller 106 is communicatively connected to a plurality of battery packs 200 in the charging device and can obtain the status information of the plurality of battery packs 200 in real time. The status information includes, but is not limited to, parameter information, health status information, charging and discharging current information, and charging and discharging voltage information of the battery packs.

[0155] Before controlling the charging unit 104 to start charging, the charging controller 106 also performs a preprocessing judgment operation to determine whether the charging operation can be carried out safely and stably. Specifically, the charging controller 106 can communicate with the charging unit 104 to determine whether the working status of the charging unit 104 is normal. At the same time, the charging controller 106 can determine the battery status of multiple battery packs 200 based on the real-time acquired status information, thereby filtering out the battery packs 200 with normal battery status.

[0156] After determining that the charging unit 104 is operating normally, the charging controller 106 selects one or more battery packs 200 that are in normal working condition from the charging equipment for simultaneous charging. In this way, the charging controller 106 can ensure that the charging operation is safe and stable, thereby improving the overall stability and safety of the charging equipment.

[0157] For the same purpose, in another aspect, embodiments of this specification also provide a charging controller applied to a charging device.

[0158] refer to Figure 1 , 2 As shown, the charging device includes: a housing 100 having a plurality of battery pack connectors 102.

[0159] like Figure 1 As shown, in some alternative embodiments, a plurality of the battery pack connectors 102 may be formed on the outer side of the housing 100 body. For example... Figure 2 As shown, the housing 100 can form an internal compartment with a certain space, and a plurality of battery pack insertion parts 102 can be disposed on the inner wall of the internal compartment formed by the housing 100.

[0160] The plurality of battery pack connectors 102 are used to connect to a plurality of battery packs 200.

[0161] The plurality of battery packs 200 may be at least one of a first-specification battery pack and a second-specification battery pack, wherein the capacity of the first-specification battery pack is greater than that of the second-specification battery pack, and the battery packs are used to power power tools. (Reference) Figure 1As shown, the two battery packs plugged into the charging device are a first-specification battery pack and a second-specification battery pack, respectively.

[0162] The differences between the first-specification battery pack and the second-specification battery pack include, but are not limited to, differences in battery pack capacity, voltage, battery internal resistance, weight, size, energy density, cell type, charge information, and battery health status information.

[0163] In some alternative embodiments, the difference between the first-specification battery pack and the second-specification battery pack lies in their battery pack capacities. The first-specification battery pack has a larger capacity than the second-specification battery pack. The second-specification battery pack is configured to power handheld garden tools. For example, the second-specification battery pack can power garden tools such as lawnmowers, pruning machines, hair dryers, and chainsaws. Furthermore, the second-specification battery pack can also power torque-output tools such as electric drills and hammer drills; sawing tools such as circular saws, jigsaws, and reciprocating saws; or grinding tools such as angle grinders and sanders. The first and second-specification battery packs can also be used to power large power tools, such as electric lawnmowers, electric snowplows, electric air compressors, electric car washes, and electric multi-purpose vehicles.

[0164] In some alternative embodiments, the difference between the first-specification battery pack and the second-specification battery pack lies in the type of battery cells used. For example, the first-specification battery pack and the second-specification battery pack can respectively use lithium iron phosphate cells, ternary lithium cells, or nickel-cadmium battery cells, lead-acid battery cells, graphene cells, etc.

[0165] The charging device can charge at least one of the first-specification battery pack and the second-specification battery pack. This allows the charging device to be compatible with battery packs of different specifications, greatly improving the adaptability of the charging device and providing users with more efficient and flexible charging capabilities.

[0166] The charging unit 104 is disposed within the housing 100 and configured to connect to an external power source. It is coupled to multiple battery pack 200 connectors via a charging circuit 1040 to transmit power from the external power source to the corresponding battery pack 200 via the battery pack connector 102. In some optional embodiments, the battery pack connector 102 is provided with charging terminals adapted to the battery pack. When a battery pack is plugged into the battery pack connector 102, the charging terminals can mate with the charging ports in the corresponding battery pack. Through the mutually cooperating charging terminals and charging ports, the charging unit 104 can transmit power from the external power source to the battery pack.

[0167] likeFigure 3 The diagram shown is a functional block diagram of a charging device provided in an embodiment of this specification. In the charging device, the charging unit 104 is connected to an external charging power source and can adjust the power from the external charging power source to adapt to the power of multiple battery packs 200, thereby facilitating the charging of the multiple battery packs 200. For example, the charging unit 104 can convert the high-voltage AC power from the external charging power source into low-voltage DC power suitable for charging.

[0168] The charging unit 104 is electrically coupled to the plurality of battery packs 200 via a charging circuit 1040, and transmits power to the plurality of battery packs 200. Furthermore, the charging unit 104 is communicatively connected to the charging controller 106, which can adjust and control the operating state and output power of the charging unit 104.

[0169] The charging controller 106 is communicatively connected to the charging unit 104 and is configured to control the charging unit 104 to charge multiple battery packs 200 simultaneously, and to adaptively adjust the total charging power according to the charging current of the multiple battery packs 200.

[0170] The charging controller 106 can communicate with multiple battery packs 200 via multiple battery pack connectors 102, thereby acquiring the status information of the multiple battery packs 200 in real time and determining the corresponding charging current of the multiple battery packs 200. The charging controller 106 controls the charging unit 104 to charge the multiple battery packs 200 simultaneously through the charging circuit 1040. During the charging process, the charging controller 106 can adaptively adjust the total charging power output by the charging unit 104 for the multiple battery packs 200 according to the changes in the corresponding charging current of the multiple battery packs 200. The charging current, as one of the most important characteristic parameters of the battery pack 200, can characterize the charging state of the charging unit during the charging process. Specifically, the charging controller 106 can control the charging unit 104 to increase or decrease the total output charging power in a timely manner, or control the charging unit 104 to maintain the total charging power at a specific value, based on the changes in the charging current corresponding to the multiple battery packs 200, so that the charging current corresponding to the multiple battery packs 200 can be maintained at a higher current level, thereby ensuring that the multiple battery packs 200 always maintain a high charging efficiency.

[0171] In some optional embodiments, the charging controller 106 communicates with the charging unit 104 via RS485 communication to set the charging power and start / stop charging. The charging controller 106 also establishes communication with the multiple battery packs 200 via serial communication to obtain the status of each battery pack.

[0172] In the charging device, the charging controller 106 controls the charging unit 104 to charge multiple battery packs 200 connected in parallel simultaneously. During the charging process, the charging controller 106 adaptively adjusts the total charging power output by the charging unit 104 according to the changes in the charging current of the multiple battery packs 200. This method of charging multiple battery packs 200 simultaneously can also avoid the influence caused by the difference in the state of charge of different battery packs, ensuring that the multiple battery packs 200 always have high charging efficiency, and effectively improving the overall charging efficiency.

[0173] It should be noted that the methods of one or more embodiments of this specification can be executed by a single device, such as a computer or server. The methods of this embodiment can also be applied in a distributed scenario, where multiple devices cooperate to complete the task. In such a distributed scenario, one of these devices may execute only one or more steps of the methods of one or more embodiments of this specification, and the multiple devices will interact with each other to complete the method described.

[0174] It should be noted that the above description describes specific embodiments of this specification. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions or steps recorded in the claims may be performed in a different order than that shown in the embodiments and still achieve the desired results. Furthermore, the processes depicted in the drawings do not necessarily require the specific or sequential order shown to achieve the desired results. In some embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing are also possible or may be advantageous.

[0175] For ease of description, the above apparatus is described in terms of function, divided into various modules. Of course, when implementing one or more embodiments of this specification, the functions of each module can be implemented in one or more software and / or hardware.

[0176] The apparatus described above is used to implement the corresponding methods in the foregoing embodiments and has the beneficial effects of the corresponding method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0177] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the processes in the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by a computer program instructing related hardware. The program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when executed, it can include the processes of the embodiments of the above methods. The storage medium can be a magnetic disk, optical disk, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), flash memory, hard disk drive (HDD), or solid-state drive (SSD), etc.; the storage medium can also include combinations of the above types of memory.

[0178] The systems, devices, modules, or units described in the above embodiments can be implemented by computer chips or physical entities, or by products with certain functions. For ease of description, the above devices are described separately by function as various units. Of course, in implementing this application, the functions of each unit can be implemented in one or more software and / or hardware.

[0179] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this specification can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this specification may take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this specification may take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0180] It should also be noted that the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0181] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to mutually. Each embodiment focuses on describing the differences from other embodiments. In particular, the system embodiments are basically similar to the method embodiments, so the description is relatively simple; relevant parts can be referred to the descriptions in the method embodiments.

[0182] Those skilled in the art should understand that the discussion of any of the above embodiments is merely exemplary and is not intended to imply that the scope of this disclosure (including the claims) is limited to these examples; within the framework of this disclosure, the technical features of the above embodiments or different embodiments can also be combined, the steps can be implemented in any order, and there are many other variations of different aspects of one or more embodiments of this specification as described above, which are not provided in detail for the sake of brevity.

[0183] Additionally, to simplify the description and discussion, and to avoid obscuring one or more embodiments of this specification, well-known power / ground connections to integrated circuit (IC) chips and other components may or may not be shown in the provided drawings. Furthermore, the apparatus may be illustrated in block diagram form to avoid obscuring one or more embodiments of this specification, and this also takes into account the fact that the details of implementation of these block diagram apparatuses are highly dependent on the platform on which one or more embodiments of this specification will be implemented (i.e., these details should be fully understood by those skilled in the art). While specific details (e.g., circuits) have been set forth to describe exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that one or more embodiments of this specification may be implemented without these specific details or with variations thereof. Therefore, these descriptions should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.

[0184] As used herein, the term "circuit" can include hardware configured to perform the functions described herein. In some embodiments, each corresponding "circuit" can include a machine-readable medium for configuring hardware to perform the functions described herein. A circuit can be embodied as one or more circuit components, including but not limited to processing circuitry, network interfaces, peripheral devices, input devices, output devices, sensors, etc. In some embodiments, a circuit can take one or more forms. Further analog circuits, electronic circuits (e.g., integrated circuits (ICs), discrete circuits, system-on-a-chip (SoC) circuits, etc.), telecommunications circuits, hybrid circuits, and any other type of "circuit" are also included. In this respect, "circuit" can include any type of component used to implement or facilitate the implementation of the operations described herein. For example, a circuit described herein can include one or more transistors, logic gates (e.g., NAND, AND, NOR, OR, XOR, NOT, XNOR, etc.), resistors, multiplexers, registers, capacitors, inductors, diodes, wiring, etc.

[0185] The “circuit” may also include one or more processors communicatively coupled to one or more memories or memory devices. In this respect, the one or more processors may execute instructions stored in memory or instructions accessible to the one or more processors. In some embodiments, the one or more processors may be implemented in various ways. The one or more processors may be constructed in a manner sufficient to perform at least the operations described herein. In some embodiments, the one or more processors may be shared by multiple circuits (e.g., circuit A and circuit B may include or otherwise share the same processor, which, in some exemplary embodiments, may execute instructions stored or otherwise accessed via different regions of memory). Alternatively or additionally, the one or more processors may be configured to perform or otherwise perform certain operations independently of one or more coprocessors. In other example embodiments, two or more processors may be coupled via a bus to enable independent, parallel, pipelined, or multithreaded instruction execution. Each processor may be implemented as one or more general-purpose processors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), or other suitable electronic data processing components configured to perform operations from memory. The one or more processors may take the form of a single-core processor, a multi-core processor (e.g., a dual-core processor, a triple-core processor, a quad-core processor, etc.), a microprocessor, etc. In some embodiments, one or more processors may be external to the device; for example, one or more processors may be remote processors (e.g., cloud-based processors). Alternatively or additionally, one or more processors may be internal to the device and / or local. In this respect, a given circuit or its components may be located locally (e.g., as part of a local server, local computing system, etc.) or remotely (e.g., as part of a remote server, such as a cloud-based server). For this purpose, a “circuit” as described herein may include components distributed in one or more locations.

[0186] Although this disclosure has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, many substitutions, modifications, and variations of these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description. One or more embodiments of this specification are intended to cover all such substitutions, modifications, and variations falling within the broad scope of the appended claims. Therefore, any omissions, modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of one or more embodiments of this specification should be included within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A charging device, characterized in that, include: The casing has multiple battery pack connectors. The plurality of battery pack connectors are used to connect to a plurality of battery packs. The plurality of battery packs can be at least one of a first specification battery pack and a second specification battery pack. The capacity of the first specification battery pack is greater than that of the second specification battery pack. The battery packs are used to power the power tools. A charging unit is disposed within the housing and configured to connect to an external power source. It is coupled to multiple battery pack connectors via a charging circuit to transmit power from the external power source to the corresponding battery packs via the battery pack connectors. A charging controller, communicatively connected to the charging unit, is configured to control the charging unit to charge multiple battery packs simultaneously, and to adaptively adjust the total charging power based on the charging current of the multiple battery packs.

2. The charging device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The charging circuit includes multiple charging branches arranged in parallel, and the multiple charging branches are correspondingly connected to multiple battery packs disposed in the multiple battery plug-in portions.

3. The charging device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The charging branch is provided with a switch assembly, and the charging controller is communicatively connected to multiple switch assemblies in multiple charging branches to control the connection state of multiple switch assemblies. During charging, the charging controller is configured to connect multiple switching components in the multiple charging branches, so that the charging unit can charge multiple battery packs simultaneously through the multiple charging branches.

4. The charging device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The charging controller is configured to adaptively adjust the total charging power based on the charging current of the multiple battery packs, including: The charging controller is configured to adaptively switch the charging state of the charging unit between a first charging state, a second charging state, and a third charging state based on the changes in the charging current of the multiple battery packs. When the charging state is in the first charging state, the charging controller controls the total charging power to gradually increase; When the charging state is in the second charging state, the charging controller controls the total charging power to gradually decrease; When the charging state is in the third charging state, the charging controller controls the total charging power to be maintained at at least one constant value.

5. The charging device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The rate of change of the total charging power in the first charging state is lower than the rate of change in the second charging state.

6. The charging device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The charging controller is configured to adaptively switch the charging state of the charging unit between a first charging state, a second charging state, and a third charging state based on changes in the charging current of the multiple battery packs, including: In response to the fact that the charging current of each of the multiple battery packs is less than the corresponding rated charging current, the charging controller controls the charging state to be in the first charging state; In response to the charging current of any of the battery packs being greater than the corresponding preset current upper limit threshold, the charging controller controls the charging state to be in the second charging state; In response to the charging state being in the first charging state and the charging current of any of the battery packs being greater than the corresponding rated charging current, the charging controller controls the charging state to switch from the first charging state to the third charging state; In response to the charging state being in the second charging state and the charging current of the plurality of battery packs being less than the corresponding rated charging current, the charging controller controls the charging state to switch from the second charging state to the third charging state; In response to the charging state being in the third charging state and the charging current of the plurality of battery packs being less than the corresponding preset current lower limit threshold, the charging controller controls the charging state to switch from the third charging state to the first charging state. Wherein, the preset upper current limit threshold of the battery pack is greater than the rated charging current of the battery pack, and the preset lower current limit threshold of the battery pack is less than the rated charging current of the battery pack.

7. The charging device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The charging controller is configured to adaptively switch the charging state of the charging unit between a first charging state, a second charging state, and a third charging state based on changes in the charging current of the multiple battery packs, including: In response to the start of charging or the addition of a new battery pack to the charging device, the charging controller is configured to initialize the total charging power and control the charging state to be in the first charging state.

8. The charging device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The charging controller is configured to adaptively switch the charging state of the charging unit between a first charging state, a second charging state, and a third charging state based on changes in the charging current of the multiple battery packs, including: In response to the removal of a battery pack from the charging device, if the charging current of any of the remaining battery packs is greater than the corresponding preset current upper limit threshold, the charging controller controls the charging state to be in the second charging state. The removal of the battery pack from the charging device includes operatively disassembling and removing the battery pack, as well as cutting off power transmission to the battery pack due to it being fully charged or experiencing a battery malfunction.

9. The charging device according to claim 4, characterized in that, When the charging state is in the third charging state, the charging controller controls the total charging power to be maintained at at least one constant value, including: In response to the charging voltage of any of the battery packs reaching full charge voltage, the charging controller updates the rated charging current of the battery pack and adjusts the total charging power based on the updated rated charging current, updating the total charging power to a new constant value and maintaining it.

10. The charging device according to claim 9, characterized in that, The charging controller updates the rated charging current setting of the battery pack, including: The charging controller updates the rated charging current of the battery pack each time the charging voltage of the battery pack reaches the full charging voltage, based on a decreasing rule. The new rated charging current is lower than the original rated charging current after the update.

11. The charging device according to claim 9, characterized in that, The charging controller adjusts the total charging power based on the updated rated charging current, updating the total charging power to a new constant value, including: The charging controller calculates and determines the charging power adjustment value based on the difference between the updated rated charging current and the original rated charging current of the battery pack, and the corresponding full charge voltage of the battery pack. A new constant value is determined based on the difference between the total charging power before the rated charging current update and the adjusted charging power value.

12. The charging device according to claim 9, characterized in that, After updating the settings of the battery pack, the charging controller adaptively switches the charging state based on the new rated charging current.

13. The charging device according to claim 9, characterized in that, In response to the rated charging current of any battery pack being updated to be less than or equal to the lower limit threshold of the charging current corresponding to that battery pack, and the charging voltage of that battery pack reaching the full charging voltage again, the charging controller is further configured to determine that the battery pack is fully charged and control the disconnection of the power transmission from the charging unit to the battery pack. Wherein, the lower limit threshold of the charging current is much smaller than the rated charging current of the corresponding battery pack.

14. The charging device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The charging controller is configured to communicate with multiple battery packs to obtain the status information of the multiple battery packs in real time. Before controlling the charging unit to charge, the charging controller communicates with the charging unit to determine whether the charging unit is operating normally. In response to the charging unit operating normally, the charging controller determines the battery status of multiple battery packs based on the real-time acquired status information; The charging controller controls the charging unit to charge the battery packs that are in normal condition simultaneously.

15. A charging controller, characterized in that, Applied to a charging device, the charging device comprising: The casing has multiple battery pack connectors. The plurality of battery pack connectors are used to connect to a plurality of battery packs. The plurality of battery packs can be at least one of a first specification battery pack and a second specification battery pack. The capacity of the first specification battery pack is greater than that of the second specification battery pack. The battery packs are used to power the power tools. A charging unit is disposed within the housing and configured to connect to an external power source and electrically coupled to multiple battery pack connectors via a charging circuit, so as to transmit power from the external power source to the corresponding battery pack via the battery pack connectors. The charging controller is communicatively connected to the charging unit and is configured to control the charging unit to charge multiple battery packs simultaneously, and to adaptively adjust the total charging power according to the charging current of the multiple battery packs.

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