Charging setup for vehicle batteries

Abstract

Charging arrangement (2) for a vehicle battery (4) with two battery contacts (6A, 6B), a connector (16) and a charger (10) with an electronic charge controller (12) arranged between the battery contacts (6A, 6B) and the connector plug (16), characterized in that the connector (16) is designed as a USB-C connector.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a charging arrangement for the electrical charging of a vehicle battery, in particular a 12V starter battery of a motorized two-wheeler, such as a motorcycle or scooter, according to the preamble of claim 1. For this purpose, the charging arrangement has at least two battery contacts for connection to the vehicle battery, a connector plug for connection to an electrical supply source or a power grid, and a charger which is arranged between the battery contacts and the connector plug and has at least one electronic charge controller for setting a charging voltage.

[0002] For the electric charging of vehicle batteries or starter batteries for motorized two-wheelers or cars, especially seasonal vehicles, charging arrangements are available on the market which usually have a charger via which the battery contacts are connected to a 230 V mains connection plug, which is permanently or detachably connected to the charger via a mains connection cable, such as via a suitable barrel plug or a mains cable socket, such as the European type C7 or cloverleaf socket C5.

[0003] A disadvantage of existing charging systems is that their chargers can only be used with a 230 V mains supply, or only with a permanently attached or compatible mains connection cable, or with a compatible barrel connector or charging socket. However, especially with charging systems for vehicle batteries that are also used on the go, a suitable mains connection or cable is often unavailable and therefore must be carried separately.

[0004] The object of the invention is to avoid the aforementioned disadvantages in a generic charging arrangement and to enable more flexible use, especially when traveling.

[0005] This problem is solved by a charging arrangement with the features of claim 1. The connector is a USB-C connector. This allows the charger to be powered via a standard USB-C port, which is widely used, especially for mobile electronic devices, and is therefore usually already carried or available almost everywhere. The USB-C connector thus enables a particularly flexible connection of the charger to different power sources.

[0006] Advantageously, the USB-C connector can be connected to a USB-C interface of a 230V power supply unit to enable charging via a standard household socket.

[0007] Alternatively or additionally, the USB-C plug can be connected to a USB-C interface of a power bank to enable charging even when there is no connection to a stationary power grid.

[0008] The electronic charge controller may preferably have a processor optimized for lead / gel / AGM 12V batteries or for 12V lithium batteries to ensure optimal charging for a vehicle battery, especially for motorized two-wheelers or cars, such as seasonal vehicles.

[0009] It is advantageous if the electronic charge controller has an automatic charging cut-off to ensure a battery-friendly charging process.

[0010] Furthermore, in a preferred embodiment, the electronic charge controller has a charge maintenance function, which allows a vehicle battery to be kept in a predefined state of charge.

[0011] It should be noted that all the features of the object according to the invention described above are interchangeable or combinable with each other, provided that such an exchange or combination is not excluded for technical reasons.

[0012] The figure illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the invention. It shows the: The single figure shows a perspective view of a loading arrangement according to the invention.

[0013] The figure shows a charging arrangement 2 according to the invention for electrically charging a vehicle battery 4, such as a 12V starter battery of a motorized two-wheeler, in particular a motorcycle. For this purpose, the charging arrangement 2 has two battery contacts 6A, 6B in the exemplary form of alligator clips, which are connected via a first wiring 8 to a charger 10, which has an electronic charge controller 12.

[0014] The charge controller 12, for example, is designed as an intelligent charge controller for charging and maintaining the charge of 12V starter batteries. For this purpose, the charger 10 is connected via a second cable 14 to a connector 16 in the form of a USB-C plug, which can be connected to a corresponding USB-C interface 18A, 18B of a power source 20, such as a conventional 230V power supply 20A or a power bank 20B.

[0015] The charge controller 12 can, for example, be of type BA100 for microprocessor-controlled optimized charging of lead-acid / gel / AGM 12V batteries or of type BA101 for microprocessor-controlled optimized charging of 12V lithium batteries. Alternatively, the charger 10 can also include both charge controllers 12 and be switchable between them.

[0016] In any case, the 230V 20A charging power supply with the 18A USB-C interface can be a standard, universally usable power adapter or a mobile phone charger, and the 20B power bank with the 18B USB-C interface can be a standard power bank, which are often carried or readily available anyway. These can therefore be used not only for charging mobile electronic devices but also to power the charging arrangement 2.

[0017] For example, a 15W 20A charging power supply and the BA100 / 101 type charge controller can provide a 12V battery charge of 1 amp, and an 18W 20A charging power supply can provide a maximum battery charge of 1.2 amps.

[0018] Preferably, the charge controller 12 also has an automatic charging cut-off and a trickle charge function or a charge maintenance function, in order to be able to, for example, ensure a battery-friendly charging process with a USB-C 5V standard source and / or to keep the vehicle battery in a predefined state of charge for a longer period of time.

[0019] It should be noted that all the elements and features described above of the various embodiments of the object according to the invention are interchangeable or combinable with each other, provided that such an exchange or combination is not excluded for technical reasons.

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