Charger

Abstract

The utility model provides a charger, and relates to the technical field of chargers. The charger comprises an adapter plate which is provided with a Type-C female head and a charger male head, and the charger male head is used for being connected with a charging interface of a power battery; the power adapter is connected with the Type-C female head of the adapter plate through a Type-C male head of a power line, and the power adapter comprises a controller; the adapter plate further comprises a communication line which is connected between the Type-C female head and the charger male head, and the controller can obtain related information of the power battery through the communication line and adjust the output power of the power adapter according to the related information of the power battery. According to the embodiment of the invention, the application range of the Type-C charger is expanded, so that one charger can charge multiple types of equipment, the convenience is improved, and the generation of electronic waste is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of chargers, and in particular to a charger. Background Art

[0002] Dangerous incidents of spontaneous combustion, explosion, and fire of power batteries (such as electric bicycle batteries) occur frequently, seriously endangering the safety of life and property. Power batteries generally do not have a battery management module, and the battery protection function relies on the charger to achieve. However, the reliability of power battery chargers is currently insufficient and needs further improvement. Type-C chargers require multiple safety certification tests, and their safety and reliability are relatively high. The main circuit structure of the Type-C charger and the power battery charger is the same, but the Type-C charger cannot directly power the power battery because of the different output interface and charging method. Consumers still need to purchase power battery chargers separately, which not only wastes resources, but also increases electronic waste.

[0003] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the above background technology section is only used to enhance the understanding of the background of the present disclosure, and therefore may include information that does not constitute the prior art known to ordinary technicians in the field. Utility Model Content

[0004] The present disclosure provides a charger that at least to some extent overcomes the problem of insufficient reliability of battery chargers in the related art.

[0005] Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description, or may be learned in part by the practice of the present disclosure.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a charger, comprising:

[0007] The adapter board has a Type-C female connector and a charger male connector. The charger male connector is used to connect to the charging port of the power battery.

[0008] A power adapter, connected to the Type-C female connector of the adapter board via the Type-C male connector of the power cable, the power adapter including a controller;

[0009] The adapter board also includes a communication line, which is connected between the Type-C female connector and the charger male connector.

[0010] The controller can obtain relevant information of the power battery through the communication line and adjust the output power of the power adapter according to the relevant information of the power battery.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a transformer is provided in the power adapter, and the transformer is connected to the power line;

[0012] The communication line on the Type-C female connector is connected to a pull-down resistor, which is set on the adapter board.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a switch tube is further provided between the transformer and the Type-C male connector, and a control electrode of the switch tube is connected to a controller.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the controller detects that the voltage value on the communication line of the Type-C male connector is greater than or equal to the first preset voltage and less than or equal to the second preset voltage, and detects that the voltage value of the VBUS line on the Type-C male connector is greater than or equal to the third preset voltage, the controller controls the switch tube to turn on.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a first preset time period is set before the switch tube is controlled to be turned on.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the controller detects that the voltage value on the communication line of the Type-C male connector is greater than or equal to the first preset voltage and less than or equal to the second preset voltage, and detects that the voltage value of the VBUS line on the Type-C male connector is greater than or equal to the third preset voltage, the controller adjusts the output voltage of the transformer based on the voltage of the power battery connected to the charger male connector, and controls the switch tube to open.

[0017] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the controller detects that the charging current is less than a first current threshold and controls the switch tube to turn off.

[0018] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the controller detects that the voltage value on the communication line of the Type-C male connector is greater than the fourth preset voltage and less than the fifth preset voltage, and detects that the voltage value of the VBUS line on the Type-C male connector is less than or equal to the sixth preset voltage, the controller controls the switch tube to turn on.

[0019] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the controller detects that the voltage value on the communication line of the Type-C male connector is greater than the fourth preset voltage and less than the fifth preset voltage, and detects that the voltage value of the VBUS line on the Type-C male connector is less than or equal to the sixth preset voltage, the controller controls the switch tube to turn on after a second preset time period.

[0020] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the power adapter is provided with a universal serial bus USB female connector;

[0021] Power cable, with a USB male connector on one end and a Type-C male connector on the other end;

[0022] Connect the USB female connector of the power adapter to the USB male connector of the power cable.

[0023] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the cable type of the power line is a passive cable or an active cable.

[0024] The charger provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure expands the application scope of the Type-C charger by adding an adapter plate to the Type-C charger to increase the function of charging a power battery, so that one charger can charge multiple categories of devices; in addition, the controller in the charger power adapter can obtain relevant information of the power battery through the communication line, and adjust the output power of the power adapter according to the relevant information of the power battery, thereby improving the safety of the charging process and reducing the risk of fire accidents caused by excessive charging power.

[0025] It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.

[0027] Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and a person skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0028] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing the architecture of a charger in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0029] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a Type-C female connector / receptacle in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0030] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing the architecture of another charger in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0031] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of an internal circuit of a charger according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0032] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the architecture of yet another charger in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] In order to make the purpose, technical scheme and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure clearer, the technical scheme in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all of the embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present disclosure generally described and shown in the drawings here can be arranged and designed in various different configurations. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure provided in the drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure for protection, but merely represents the selected embodiments of the present disclosure. Based on the embodiments of the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without making creative work belong to the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0034] The inventor found that the quality of current power battery chargers (such as electric bicycle chargers) varies greatly, and various low-quality chargers have caused many safety accidents. However, USB PD chargers, which are also used to charge lithium batteries, rarely cause safety accidents because they have undergone multiple quality inspections and national safety certifications.

[0035] The internal circuit structures of laptop lithium batteries and electric bicycle lithium batteries are different. Electric bicycle batteries do not have a battery management module, and the battery protection function depends on the charger. However, the reliability of electric bicycle chargers is insufficient and it is easy to cause safety accidents such as explosions and fires.

[0036] In addition, even if consumers have a USB PD charger, they still need to purchase an electric bicycle charger separately, which also causes a waste of resources and generates too much electronic waste that harms the environment.

[0037] The disclosed embodiment adds a power battery charging function to the USB PD charger, and through an adapter plate, the USB PD charger can be compatible with USB PD devices and power battery charging of electric bicycles, electric tools, etc., thereby increasing the safety and reliability of charging products. Moreover, when users go out, they only need to carry the charger provided by the disclosed embodiment to charge a variety of devices, which can reduce the number of chargers that users need to carry, improve convenience, and also reduce electronic waste and protect the environment.

[0038] The defects existing in the above schemes and the proposed solutions are the results obtained by the inventor after practice and careful research. Therefore, the discovery process of the above problems and the solutions proposed by the present disclosure for the above problems below should be the contributions made by the inventor to the present disclosure during the disclosure process.

[0039] The present exemplary implementation is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0040] Figure 1 A charger according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 1 As shown, the charger provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure includes a conversion board 10 and a power adapter 20.

[0041] The adapter board 10 is provided with a Type-C female connector 101 and a charger male connector 102 , and the charger male connector 102 is used to connect to the charging interface of the power battery.

[0042] In some embodiments, the power battery may be an electric bicycle battery, and the charger male connector 102 may be a charging connector for an electric bicycle.

[0043] The power adapter 20 is connected to the Type-C female connector 101 of the adapter board via the Type-C male connector 201 of the power line, and the power adapter 20 includes a controller 202. The adapter board also includes a communication line connected between the Type-C female connector and the charger male connector. The controller can obtain relevant information such as the battery voltage of the power battery through the communication line, and adjust the output power of the power adapter according to the relevant information of the power battery.

[0044] In some embodiments, adjusting the output power of the power adapter according to the relevant information of the power battery may be adjusting the output power of the power adapter according to the voltage of the power battery.

[0045] In some embodiments, a transformer is provided in the power adapter, and the transformer is connected to the power cord; the communication line on the Type-C female connector is connected to a pull-down resistor, and the pull-down resistor is provided on the adapter board.

[0046] Figure 2 A Type-C female connector is shown, and the Type-C female connector includes multiple interfaces, including CC1 and CC2. In the above embodiment, the communication line of the Type-C female connector is connected to a pull-down resistor, which can be Figure 3 As shown, the CC1 (Configuration Channel 1) line has a pull-down resistor, and the CC2 line has a pull-down resistor.

[0047] In some embodiments, the power adapter may include a housing, a transformer, a rectifier circuit, etc., and may be capable of converting the higher voltage of the mains into a lower voltage direct current suitable for use by the device.

[0048] In some embodiments, Figure 4 As shown, a switch tube is also provided between the transformer and the Type-C male connector, and the control electrode of the switch tube is connected to the controller.

[0049] In some embodiments, the power adapter and the power cord may be separate components. Figure 5As shown, the power adapter is provided with a universal serial bus USB female connector 203; a power cord, one end of which is a USB male connector 204, and the other end of which is a Type-C male connector 201; the USB female connector 203 of the power adapter is connected to the USB male connector 204 of the power cord.

[0050] In some embodiments, the cable type of the power line is a passive cable or an active cable.

[0051] The power adapter detects the voltage value on the communication line and then determines whether the adapter is connected to a normal load or a power battery (such as the battery end of an electric bicycle). Among them, a normal load can refer to the charging interface of the Sink end (load end) is a Type-C female connector, which can be specifically divided into two types: those that can perform PD communication (such as mobile phones and laptops on the market that support PD fast charging) and those that cannot perform PD communication (such as electric toothbrushes and wireless headset charging compartments).

[0052] If a power battery is connected, first determine whether the voltage of the power battery is within the normal range, and then the power adapter charges the power battery with a specific voltage and current. When the charging current is less than a certain value, the power adapter stops charging the power battery.

[0053] If a normal load is connected, normal PD communication is performed, followed by power output.

[0054] It can be understood that in the above embodiment, the power adapter initializes and configures the communication line (CC line) as an ADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter) sampling function.

[0055] In some embodiments, when the controller detects that the voltage value on the communication line of the Type-C male connector is greater than or equal to the first preset voltage and less than or equal to the second preset voltage, and detects that the voltage value of the VBUS line on the Type-C male connector is greater than or equal to the third preset voltage, the controller controls the switch tube to be turned on. It should be noted that when the controller detects that the voltage value on the communication line of the Type-C male connector is greater than or equal to the first preset voltage and less than or equal to the second preset voltage, it determines that the connected load is a power battery; when the controller detects that the voltage value of the VBUS line on the Type-C male connector is greater than or equal to the third preset voltage, it determines that the voltage can charge the power battery. At this time, the switch tube is turned on to charge the power battery, which can ensure that the charger can realize the function of charging the power battery.

[0056] It should be noted that the first preset voltage may be greater than or equal to the minimum voltage on the CC line when the adapter determines that a normal load is connected. The second preset voltage may be less than or equal to the maximum voltage on the CC line when the adapter determines that a normal load is connected. As an example, the first preset voltage may be the minimum voltage on the CC line when the adapter determines that a normal load is connected. The second preset voltage may be the maximum voltage on the CC line when the adapter determines that a normal load is connected. The third preset voltage may be the normal charging voltage of the power battery (for example, the normal voltage of the battery of an electric bicycle). If the internal voltage value is less than the third preset voltage, the power battery vehicle cannot be charged. In some embodiments, before the control switch tube is turned on, a first preset time period is provided. The adapter may detect the voltage on the communication line in the first preset time period. The length of the first preset time period is sufficient for the adapter to complete the detection, and it can detect that the voltage on the communication line is between the first preset voltage and the second preset voltage, and ensure that the voltage can last for a period of time before the switch tube is turned on to charge the power battery, so as to prevent the adapter from misdetecting, thereby further improving the safety of the charging process. It can be understood that here the controller detects that the voltage value on the communication line of the Type-C male connector is greater than or equal to the first preset voltage and less than or equal to the second preset voltage, and detects that the voltage value of the VBUS line on the Type-C male connector is greater than or equal to the third preset voltage. After the first preset time period, the control switch tube is turned on to charge the power battery.

[0057] It can be understood that the switch tube is set at the output end of the power adapter. If the voltage on the communication line is detected to be between the first preset voltage and the second preset voltage, and the voltage on Vbus_Pin is detected to be greater than or equal to the third preset voltage, after a first preset time period, the switch tube at the output end of the adapter is turned on to charge the power battery.

[0058] In some embodiments, the controller detects that the charging current is less than the first current threshold and controls the switch tube to turn off, so that the potential safety hazard of battery overcharging can be effectively avoided. As an example, the first current threshold can be set to 0.15A, and when the current is less than 0.15A, the charger will turn off the power output. It should be noted that the first current threshold can be obtained by analyzing the charging curve of the power battery to obtain the current critical point at which the charger turns off the power output as the first current threshold.

[0059] In some embodiments, the controller detects that the voltage value on the communication line of the Type-C male connector is greater than the fourth preset voltage and less than the fifth preset voltage, and detects that the voltage value of the VBUS line on the Type-C male connector is less than or equal to the sixth preset voltage, and controls the switch tube to open. It can be understood that the controller detects that the voltage value on the communication line of the Type-C male connector is greater than the fourth preset voltage and less than the fifth preset voltage, and determines that the connected load is a normal load; when it detects that the voltage value of the VBUS line on the Type-C male connector is less than or equal to the sixth preset voltage, the switch tube is controlled to open for normal charging. In the above process, by controlling the charging voltage below the sixth preset voltage, the safety of the charging process can be effectively improved and the fire hazard caused by excessive power can be reduced.

[0060] In some embodiments, the fourth preset voltage may be greater than or equal to the minimum voltage on the CC line when the adapter is connected to the power battery. The fifth preset voltage may be less than or equal to the maximum voltage on the CC line when the adapter is connected to the power battery. As an example, the fourth preset voltage may be the minimum voltage on the CC line when the adapter is connected to the power battery. The fifth preset voltage may be the maximum voltage on the CC line when the adapter is connected to the power battery. In some embodiments, when the controller detects that the voltage value on the communication line of the Type-C male connector is greater than the fourth preset voltage and less than the fifth preset voltage, and detects that the voltage value of the VBUS line on the Type-C male connector is less than or equal to the sixth preset voltage, the controller controls the switch tube to be turned on after the second preset time period. In the disclosed embodiment, the safety of the charging process can be further improved by delaying the second preset time period before turning on the switch tube.

[0061] In some embodiments, the adapter can detect the voltage on the communication line in a second preset time period, and the length of the second preset time period is sufficient for the adapter to complete the detection, and can detect that the voltage on the communication line is between the fourth preset voltage and the sixth preset voltage, and the above voltage can be turned on after a period of time, so as to prevent the adapter from misdetecting, thereby further improving the safety of the charging process. The length of the above second preset time period can be set according to the specific requirements of "USB Type-C Spec R2.1-May2021". The setting of the above sixth preset voltage involves how the device safely manages the voltage state when the power is connected and disconnected to protect the device from damage. As an example, the sixth preset voltage can be set according to the requirements for vSafe0V in the USB PD (USB Power Delivery) protocol, wherein the vSafe0V requirements include the conditions that must be followed when a port needs to enter or confirm that it is in a "safe 0 volt" state during USB PD communication.

[0062] The disclosed embodiment only adds an adapter board, which has a Type-C female connector and a power battery charging interface. The adapter board is low-cost, small in size, and easy to carry.

[0063] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the terms "first", "second" and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance. The concepts of "first", "second" and the like mentioned in the present disclosure are only used to distinguish different devices, modules or units, and are not used to limit the order or interdependence of the functions performed by these devices, modules or units.

[0064] The term "and / or" in this disclosure is only a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there may be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this article generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0065] Furthermore, although the steps of the method in the present disclosure are described in a particular order in the drawings, this does not require or imply that the steps must be performed in this particular order or that all the steps shown must be performed to achieve the desired results.

[0066] In some embodiments, certain steps may be omitted, multiple steps may be combined into one step, and / or one step may be decomposed into multiple steps.

[0067] Some of the blocks shown in the accompanying drawings are functional entities that do not necessarily correspond to physically or logically independent entities. These functional entities can be implemented in software form, or in one or more hardware modules or integrated circuits, or in different networks and / or processor devices and / or microcontroller devices.

[0068] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that all or part of the steps for implementing the above embodiments may be implemented in the following forms, namely: a complete hardware implementation, a complete software implementation (including firmware, microcode, etc.), or a combination of hardware and software implementations, which may be collectively referred to herein as "circuits", "modules" or "systems".

[0069] Other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosure disclosed herein.

[0070] The present disclosure is intended to cover any variation, use or adaptation of the present disclosure, which follows the general principles of the present disclosure and includes common knowledge or customary technical means in the technical field not disclosed in the present disclosure. The description and examples are to be regarded as exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of the present disclosure are indicated by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A charger, characterized in that: include: The adapter board is provided with a Type-C female connector and a charger male connector, wherein the charger male connector is used to connect to the charging interface of the power battery; A power adapter, connected to the Type-C female connector of the adapter board via the Type-C male connector of the power cable, wherein the power adapter includes a controller; The adapter board also includes a communication line connected between the Type-C female connector and the charger male connector. The controller can obtain relevant information of the power battery through the communication line, and adjust the output power of the power adapter according to the relevant information of the power battery.

2. The charger according to claim 1, characterized in that: The power adapter is provided with a transformer, and the transformer is connected to the power line; The communication line on the Type-C female connector is connected to a pull-down resistor, and the pull-down resistor is arranged on the adapter board.

3. The charger according to claim 2, characterized in that: A switch tube is also provided between the transformer and the Type-C male connector, and a control electrode of the switch tube is connected to the controller.

4. The charger according to claim 3, characterized in that: The controller controls the switch tube to turn on when it detects that the voltage value on the communication line of the Type-C male connector is greater than or equal to the first preset voltage and less than or equal to the second preset voltage, and detects that the voltage value of the VBUS line on the Type-C male connector is greater than or equal to the third preset voltage.

5. The charger according to claim 4, characterized in that: Before controlling the switch tube to turn on, a first preset time period is set.

6. The charger according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that: When the controller detects that the voltage value on the communication line of the Type-C male connector is greater than or equal to the first preset voltage and less than or equal to the second preset voltage, and detects that the voltage value of the VBUS line on the Type-C male connector is greater than the third preset voltage, the controller adjusts the output voltage of the transformer based on the voltage of the power battery connected to the charger male connector, and controls the switch tube to turn on.

7. The charger according to claim 6, characterized in that: The controller detects that the charging current is less than a first current threshold and controls the switch tube to turn off.

8. The charger according to claim 3, characterized in that: When the controller detects that the voltage value on the communication line of the Type-C male connector is greater than the fourth preset voltage and less than the fifth preset voltage, and detects that the voltage value of the VBUS line on the Type-C male connector is less than or equal to the sixth preset voltage, the controller controls the switch tube to turn on.

9. The charger according to claim 8, characterized in that: When the controller detects that the voltage value on the communication line of the Type-C male connector is greater than the fourth preset voltage and less than the fifth preset voltage, and detects that the voltage value of the VBUS line on the Type-C male connector is less than or equal to the sixth preset voltage, the controller controls the switch tube to turn on after a second preset time period.

10. The charger according to claim 1, characterized in that: The power adapter is provided with a universal serial bus USB female connector; The power cord has a USB male connector at one end and a Type-C male connector at the other end; The USB female connector of the power adapter is connected to the USB male connector of the power cord.

11. The charger according to claim 1, characterized in that: The power cable may be a passive cable or an active cable.

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