Charger for one battery

Abstract

A charger for a battery, comprising a housing with a display element that displays the progress of a charging process, wherein the display element has a lighting device that creates a lighting situation that changes with the progress of the charging process, wherein the lighting device changes color with the progress of the charging process and the lighting device has a projection device that is suitable for projecting the lighting situation that changes with the progress of the charging process onto a projection surface spaced from the housing, wherein the lighting device has a light guide that, fed by a light source, emits the light for the lighting situation, and the light guide is a planar element that illuminates along at least one edge and emits the light for the lighting situation in its flat side.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a charger for a battery, which has a housing with a display element for indicating the progress of a charging process.

[0002] In conventional chargers, for example, the charge level is displayed on the front of a box-shaped charger housing. It is also known to indicate the progress of the charging process using LEDs arranged in a row. It is also known to provide an LCD display in the charger housing that shows the charge level of a connected battery.

[0003] A disadvantage of the known chargers and their displays has been found to be that the display can only be read from close range, which means unnecessary walking if, for example, a reading on the charger shows that the battery is not yet fully charged.

[0004] DE 10 2011 006 481 A1 relates to a display device for an electric vehicle that indicates the battery's charge level. The lighting device is controlled to illuminate in different colors depending on the battery's charge level. Furthermore, LEDs are provided as the lighting device.

[0005] DE 10 2012 010 675 A1 describes an industrial truck with numerous battery slots. Each battery slot is connected to an internal bus network via a CAN bus.

[0006] GB 2,510,124 A discloses an electric or hybrid-electric vehicle that has means for monitoring the charging process. The charging indicator shows the charging status on the vehicle. A first and a second LED strip are provided on the vehicle for this purpose.

[0007] US 2011 / 0043355 A1 describes a vehicle with a charging port surrounded by a ring of lights. This indicates the charge level in percentage terms by the number of illuminated lights.

[0008] US 2013 / 0300356 A1 describes a wireless charging station with a charging area. For convenience, the charging area is indicated by a light. Individual devices to be charged can also be illuminated by a light projection, with the color indicating the charging status.

[0009] From CN 202455107 U a charger for a mobile phone is known, in which a flashing device is provided to indicate the charging status of the telephone device.

[0010] From DE 10 2012 208 301 A1, a charging system for use in a vehicle has become known in which a light colour changes depending on the progress of the charging process.

[0011] The invention is based on the object of providing a charger whose handling can be carried out efficiently using the simplest possible means.

[0012] According to the invention, the object is achieved by a charger having the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments form the subject matter of the subclaims.

[0013] The charger according to the invention is intended for recharging a battery. It has a housing with a display element. The display element is designed to indicate the progress of a charging process. According to the invention, the display element has a lighting device that creates a lighting situation that changes with the progress of the charging process. The lighting situation created according to the invention can also be perceived from a distance and offers the possibility of assessing from a distance, based on the displayed lighting situation, how far the charging process has progressed or whether the charging process has already been completed.

[0014] According to the invention, the lighting device changes color depending on the progress of the charging process. The color preferably cycles through a defined color spectrum, which, for example, indicates with a fixed color that the charging process is complete.

[0015] According to the invention, the lighting device comprises a projection device suitable for projecting the lighting situation, which changes with the progress of the charging process, onto a projection surface spaced apart from the housing. In this embodiment, the charger, with its projection device, has the option of not only creating its lighting situation directly on the charger but also projecting it onto a projection surface. This allows the charger, for example, to be set up in a concealed position if the projection surface is clearly visible even from a distance.

[0016] According to the invention, the lighting device comprises a light guide that, fed by a light source, emits the light for the lighting situation. The light guide is designed as a flat plate that is illuminated, for example, along the edge to emit light across the surface and create a lighting situation that is visible from afar.

[0017] Another embodiment provides for the lighting device to generate a flashing or simultaneously changing lighting situation, the frequency of which is determined by the progress of the charging process. The frequency of the lighting change is also a clearly visible feature from a distance, allowing remote reading of the charger. The frequency also includes continuous lighting with a frequency of zero.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment, the lighting device is attached to the housing of the charger. Attaching it to the housing allows the lighting device to be retrofitted, for example, to a charger.

[0019] In one possible design, the charger is a built-in charger. Even with built-in chargers, especially in industrial trucks, there is a need to be able to quickly determine from a distance whether the truck is ready for use with a fully charged battery.

[0020] In a further preferred embodiment, the lighting device comprises an LED strip comprising a plurality of LED lighting elements. An LED strip is generally flexible and can be guided along the contour of the charger.

[0021] The invention is explained in more detail below using several exemplary embodiments. They show: Fig. 1 in a perspective view a charger with a lighting element mounted on the top Fig. 2 in a perspective view a lighting element attached to the front, Fig. 3 an example of a lighting element arranged on two side walls and a top of the charger, Fig. 4 a charger with a projection device provided on the front and Fig. 5 a charger with a projection device provided on the top.

[0022] Fig. Figure 1 shows a charger 10 with a cuboid-shaped housing 12. The housing 12 has a front panel 14, on which, for example, terminals 16 in the form of clamp connectors are provided for connecting a charging cable to a battery to be charged. The charge level is indicated by a display 18, which is designed as a pointer instrument. Of course, the display element 18 can also be designed as an LCD or LED display.

[0023] A flat lighting element 22 is located on a top side 20 of the housing 12. The lighting element 22 covers the majority of the top side 20. The lighting element 22 has two rails 24, 26 along its edge, through which light is fed into the lighting element 22. The light is emitted across the surface. By changing the light color when feeding 24, 26, for example, using a color changer, the desired lighting situation can be created with a color that is clearly visible from a distance.

[0024] There are various ways to display the charge level of a connected battery. For example, the charging situation can be made particularly intuitive through a combination of flashing and colored lighting. For example, a slowly flashing green light can indicate that the battery is charging. Fast flashing green can be used when, for example, parameter information about the battery or the charging process is being displayed on the charger. Fast flashing green / red alternating can be used for the process in which a battery is exchanging data with the charger and an association process is taking place. Continuous flashing green can be used to indicate the end of the charging process. Flashing green with noticeable pauses can indicate an error or an event message on the charger. Alternating green / yellow indicates that the battery is in the charging phase.For example, a blue light can indicate a charging process with a high current.

[0025] Fig. 2 shows an alternative design of a charger, which of course can also be used in addition to the one shown in Fig. 1 can be used. To enable the charge level to be identified from a great distance, a circumferential status indicator 30 mounted on the front serves as a lighting element. The status indicator 30 can change its color to clearly indicate the charge level from a distance. For this purpose, an electronic measuring device is provided within the charger 10, which determines the charge level of the battery to be charged. The charge level is displayed on the front via the display element 18 and the circumferential status indicator 30.

[0026] Fig. Figure 3 shows an alternative embodiment with a circumferential lighting device 32. The lighting device 32 extends over two side walls of the housing and the upper surface located between the side walls. Here, too, the lighting device 32 can be combined with the status indicator 30 and / or the lighting device 22.

[0027] Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 show a charger 10. The Fig. The charger 10 shown in Figure 4 has a projection device 34 on its front side, which projects a colored surface 36 as a lighting situation onto the ground or an object in front of and below the charger.

[0028] Fig. 5 shows another charger 10 in which a projection device 38 is provided on the top of the charger in order to project a colored surface 40 onto the ceiling as a lighting situation.

Claims

[1] A charger for a battery, comprising a housing with a display element that displays the progress of a charging process, wherein the display element comprises a lighting device that creates a lighting situation that changes with the progress of the charging process, wherein the lighting device changes color with the progress of the charging process and the lighting device comprises a projection device that is suitable for projecting the lighting situation that changes with the progress of the charging process onto a projection surface spaced from the housing, wherein the lighting device comprises a light guide that is fed by a light source and emits the light for the lighting situation, and the light guide is a planar element that illuminates along at least one edge and emits the light for the lighting situation in its flat side. [2] Charger according to claim 1, characterized bythat the lighting device creates a flashing lighting situation whose frequency changes with the progress of the charging process. [3] Charger according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the lighting device is attached to the housing. [4] Charger according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by that it is a built-in charger for an industrial truck. [5] Charger according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by that the lighting device comprises an LED light strip which has a plurality of LED light elements.

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