Device for charging battery

Abstract

The present invention provides a battery charging device for charging a battery, comprising: a power supply unit for supplying power to a battery; a polarity determination unit for determining the polarity of a battery terminal connected to a charging terminal of the battery charging device; and a polarity conversion unit for changing the polarity of the charging terminal according to the polarity of the battery terminal.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery charging device. Background Technology

[0003] Recently, eco-friendly vehicles such as electric and hydrogen cars are becoming increasingly widespread. Considering the replacement cycle of these eco-friendly vehicles, it is predicted that used vehicle batteries will be recovered from approximately 10,000 electric vehicles annually in 2024 and from approximately 100,000 electric vehicles annually in 2031 (refer to *Study on the Establishment of Recycling Methods and Standards for Used Electric Vehicle Batteries* (Ministry of Environment, Oct. 2018)).

[0004] Waste batteries can be recovered from eco-friendly vehicles and recycled, and then used in applications other than eco-friendly vehicles, and the remaining lifespan of the waste batteries can be about 70~80%.

[0005] After being recycled, the waste battery is installed in a power device to supply power to the power device, and when discharged, it can be detached from the power device and charged at a separate charging station. Here, the charging station may be located in multiple places, and the charging station may be equipped with a battery charging device.

[0006] Conventional battery charging devices have a problem in that they are configured with a system that causes damage to the charging device or the battery due to incorrect connection with the battery, or stops operation upon incorrect connection to induce the user to re-check the connection status and connect it normally, requiring the user to always pay attention to the polarity of the battery.

[0007] Specifically, there is an inconvenience and hassle involved in having to check the (+) and (-) terminals of the battery and connect them to the (+) and (-) terminals of the battery charging device before operating the device.

[0008] In addition, there were inconveniences and cumbersome issues as it was necessary to use a separate measuring instrument for verification when the surface of the battery to be charged was contaminated or old, making it impossible to distinguish between the (+) and (-) terminals. The problem to be solved

[0010] In order to solve the problems of the conventional technology described above, the present invention aims to provide a battery charging device capable of preventing the power supply unit and the battery from being connected with opposite polarities by checking the polarity of the battery connected to the charging terminal and changing the polarity of the charging terminal according to the polarity of the battery terminal.

[0011] In addition, the present invention aims to provide a battery charging device that prevents the terminals of the battery and the terminals of the power supply unit from being connected with different polarities, thereby preventing damage to the battery and the battery charging device and preventing fire caused by such damage.

[0012] The technical problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs from the description below. means of solving the problem

[0014] To solve the aforementioned problem, the present invention provides a battery charging device for charging a battery, comprising: a power supply unit for supplying power to a battery; a polarity determination unit for determining the polarity of a battery terminal connected to a charging terminal of the battery charging device; and a polarity conversion unit for changing the polarity of the charging terminal according to the polarity of the battery terminal.

[0015] Here, the polarity conversion unit can connect the first charging terminal to the (+) terminal of the power supply unit and connect the second charging terminal to the (-) terminal of the power supply unit, based on the fact that the (+) terminal of the battery is connected to the first charging terminal of the battery charging device and the (-) terminal of the battery is connected to the second charging terminal of the battery charging device.

[0016] Additionally, the polarity conversion unit can connect the first charging terminal to the (-) terminal of the power supply unit and connect the second charging terminal to the (+) terminal of the power supply unit, based on the fact that the (-) terminal of the battery is connected to the first charging terminal of the battery charging unit and the (+) terminal of the battery is connected to the second charging terminal of the battery charging unit.

[0017] Additionally, the polarity conversion unit may include a first switching unit for selectively connecting either one of the first and second charging terminals of the battery charging device to the (+) terminal of the power supply unit, and a second switching unit for selectively connecting either one of the first and second charging terminals of the battery charging device to the (-) terminal of the power supply unit.

[0018] Here, the first switching unit may include a first switch connected between the (+) terminal of the power supply unit and the first charging terminal, and a second switch connected between the (+) terminal of the power supply unit and the second charging terminal.

[0019] Additionally, the second switching unit may include a third switch connected between the (-) terminal of the power supply unit and the first charging terminal, and a fourth switch connected between the (-) terminal of the power supply unit and the second charging terminal.

[0020] Additionally, the polarity determination unit may include a voltmeter that detects the voltage between the charging terminals when the first to fourth switches are off, based on whether the battery terminal is connected to the charging terminal.

[0021] In addition, the battery charging device of the present invention includes an ammeter that detects the current of the battery based on the connection of the battery terminal to the charging terminal, and may further include a current determination unit that confirms the normal operation of the battery based on the current of the battery.

[0022] Additionally, the polarity conversion unit can turn on the first and fourth switches while the first to fourth switches are in an off state, based on the fact that the (+) terminal of the battery is connected to the first charging terminal of the battery charging device and the (-) terminal of the battery is connected to the second charging terminal of the battery charging device.

[0023] Additionally, the polarity conversion unit can turn on the second and third switches while the first to fourth switches are off, based on the fact that the (-) terminal of the battery is connected to the first charging terminal of the battery charging device and the (+) terminal of the battery is connected to the second charging terminal of the battery charging device. Effects of the invention

[0025] According to the present invention, before connecting the battery to the power supply unit, the polarity of the battery connected to the charging terminal is checked, and by changing the polarity of the charging terminal according to the polarity of the battery terminal, it is possible to prevent the power supply unit and the battery from being connected with opposite polarities.

[0026] In addition, according to the present invention, by preventing the terminals of the battery and the terminals of the power supply unit from being connected with different polarities, damage to the battery and the battery charging device can be prevented, and a fire caused by such damage can be prevented.

[0027] The effects obtainable from the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned effects will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0029] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a battery. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a battery charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of a battery charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the polarity determination unit and the current determination unit of a battery charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 5 and 6 are drawings for explaining the operation of a polarity conversion unit of a battery charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0030] To fully understand the structure and effects of the present invention, preferred embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the attached drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but can be implemented in various forms and various modifications can be made. The description of the embodiments is provided merely to ensure that the disclosure of the present invention is complete and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the invention. In the attached drawings, components are depicted enlarged from their actual size for convenience of explanation, and the proportions of each component may be exaggerated or reduced.

[0031] Terms such as 'first' and 'second' may be used to describe various components, but said components should not be limited by said terms. These terms may be used solely for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, 'first component' may be named 'second component,' and similarly, 'second component' may be named 'first component.' Furthermore, singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Unless otherwise defined, terms used in the embodiments of the present invention may be interpreted in the sense commonly known to those skilled in the art.

[0033] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a battery.

[0034] Referring to FIG. 1, the battery (110) may be composed of a plurality of battery cells to form a single battery module, and a plurality of battery modules to form a single battery pack. Additionally, the plurality of battery cells may be connected in series or in parallel, or connected in a combination of series and parallel.

[0035] Here, the battery (110) is a vehicle battery that is recovered from an eco-friendly vehicle and regenerated, and then used as a regenerated battery in applications other than eco-friendly vehicles, but is not limited thereto.

[0036] In addition, the battery (110) may have a remaining life of about 70 to 80 percent, but is not limited to this.

[0037] Here, the battery (110) is mounted on the power device to supply power to the power device, and when discharged, it can be detached from the power device and charged.

[0038] The battery (110) can be charged at a charging station. Here, the charging station may be located in multiple places, and the charging station may be equipped with a battery charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a battery charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of a battery charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a battery charging device (100) according to an embodiment of the present invention is a device for charging a battery (110) and may be configured to include a polarity determination unit (110), a current determination unit (130), a polarity conversion unit (140), and a power supply unit (160).

[0041] Here, the power supply unit (140) is configured to supply power to the battery (110) and may include a power conversion device capable of converting alternating current power into direct current power and supplying it to the battery (110).

[0042] The polarity determination unit (140) can determine the polarity of the battery terminal of the battery (110) connected to the charging terminal (11, 12) of the battery charging device (100).

[0043] The polarity conversion unit (140) can change the polarity of the charging terminals (11, 12) according to the polarity of the battery terminal.

[0044] For example, the user may connect the (+) terminal of the battery (110) to the first charging terminal (11) of the battery charging device (100) and the (-) terminal of the battery (110) to the second charging terminal (12) of the battery charging device (100), or conversely, the user may connect the (-) terminal of the battery (110) to the first charging terminal (11) of the battery charging device (100) and the (+) terminal of the battery (110) to the second charging terminal (12) of the battery charging device (100).

[0045] Here, if the first charging terminal (11) is connected to the (+) terminal of the power supply unit (160) and the first charging terminal (11) is connected to the (-) terminal of the power supply unit (160), in the latter case, the battery (110) and the battery charging device (100) may be damaged and, in some cases, a fire may occur.

[0046] To solve such problems, a battery charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention checks the polarity of the battery (110) connected to the charging terminals (11, 12) before connecting the battery (110) to the power supply unit (160), and changes the polarity of the charging terminals (11, 12) according to the polarity of the battery terminals, thereby preventing the power supply unit (160) and the battery (110) from being connected with opposite polarities.

[0047] Specifically, the polarity conversion unit (140) connects the (+) terminal of the battery (110) to the (+) terminal of the battery (110) and connects the (-) terminal of the battery (110) to the (+) terminal of the power supply unit (160) based on the fact that the (+) terminal of the battery (110) is connected to the first charging terminal (11) of the battery charging device (100) and the (-) terminal of the second charging terminal (12) is connected to the (-) terminal of the power supply unit (160).

[0048] Conversely, the polarity conversion unit (140) connects the (-) terminal of the battery (110) to the (-) terminal of the power supply unit (160) and connects the (+) terminal of the battery (110) to the (-) terminal of the power supply unit (160), based on the fact that the (-) terminal of the battery (110) is connected to the first charging terminal (11) of the battery charging device (100) and the (+) terminal of the second charging terminal (12) of the power supply unit (160).

[0049] To this end, the polarity conversion unit (140) may be configured to include a first switching unit (141) and a second switching unit (142).

[0050] The first switching unit (141) includes a first switch (SW1) and a second switch (SW2), and can selectively connect either the first charging terminal (11) and the second charging terminal (12) of the battery charging device (100) to the (+) terminal of the power supply unit (160).

[0051] Here, the first switch (SW1) is connected between the (+) terminal of the power supply unit (160) and the first charging terminal (11), and the second switch (SW2) can be connected between the (+) terminal of the power supply unit (160) and the second charging terminal (12).

[0052] The second switching unit (142) includes a third switch (SW3) and a fourth switch (SW4), and can selectively connect either the first charging terminal (11) or the second charging terminal (12) of the battery charging device (100) to the (-) terminal of the power supply unit (160).

[0053] Here, the third switch (SW3) is connected between the (-) terminal of the power supply unit (160) and the first charging terminal (11), and the fourth switch (SW4) can be connected between the (-) terminal of the power supply unit (160) and the second charging terminal (12).

[0054] Alternatively, the polarity conversion unit (140) may change the polarity of the charging terminals (11, 12) through a motor (not shown) that rotates the charging terminals (11, 12) without employing the first switching unit (141) and the second switching unit (142).

[0055] Specifically, the polarity conversion unit (140) can connect the (+) terminal of the battery (110) to the (+) terminal of the battery (110) and the (-) terminal of the battery (110) to the (-) terminal of the battery (110) without rotating the charging terminals (11, 12), based on the fact that the (+) terminal of the battery (110) is connected to the (+) terminal of the power supply unit and the (-) terminal of the second charging terminal (12) is connected to the (-) terminal of the power supply unit (160).

[0056] In contrast, the polarity conversion unit (140) can rotate the charging terminals (11, 12) by 180 degrees based on the fact that the (-) terminal of the battery (110) is connected to the first charging terminal (11) of the battery charging device (100) and the (+) terminal of the battery (110) is connected to the second charging terminal (12) of the battery charging device (100), so that the first charging terminal (11) is connected to the (-) terminal of the power supply unit and the second charging terminal (12) is connected to the (+) terminal of the power supply unit (160).

[0057] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the polarity determination unit and the current determination unit of a battery charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0058] Referring to FIG. 4, the polarity determination unit (120) may include a voltmeter (125) that detects the voltage between the charging terminals (11, 12) when the first to fourth switches (SW1 to SW4) are off, based on the fact that the battery terminal is connected to the charging terminals (11, 12).

[0059] The polarity determination unit (120) is connected to the first charging terminal and the second charging terminal through wiring and may include a switch (121) connected between the polarity determination unit (120) and the first charging terminal (11) or between the polarity determination unit (120) and the second charging terminal (12).

[0060] Here, the polarity determination unit (120) can determine the polarity of the battery (110) terminal by turning on the switch (121) when the battery terminal is connected to the charging terminal (11, 12), measuring the voltage between the charging terminal (11, 12) through the voltmeter (125), and confirming the polarity of the measured voltage.

[0061] For example, the polarity determination unit (120) can determine that when the voltage polarity between the charging terminals (11, 12) is (+), the (+) terminal of the battery (110) is connected to the first charging terminal (11) and the (-) terminal of the battery (110) is connected to the second charging terminal (12).

[0062] In contrast, the polarity determination unit (120) can determine that when the voltage polarity between the charging terminals (11, 12) is (-), the (-) terminal of the battery (110) is connected to the first charging terminal (11) and the (+) terminal of the battery (110) is connected to the second charging terminal (12).

[0063] The current determination unit (130) includes an ammeter (135) that detects the current of the battery (110) based on the battery terminal being connected to the charging terminal (11, 12), and can verify the normal operation of the battery (110) based on the current of the battery (110).

[0064] Accordingly, the power supply unit (160) can supply power to the battery (110) based on the fact that the operation of the battery (110) is normal.

[0065] FIGS. 5 and 6 are drawings for explaining the operation of a polarity conversion unit of a battery charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0066] Referring to FIG. 5, the polarity conversion unit (140) can turn on the first switch (SW1) and the fourth switch (SW4) while the first to fourth switches (SW1~SW4) are off, based on the fact that the (+) terminal of the battery (110) is connected to the first charging terminal (11) of the battery charging device (100) and the (-) terminal of the battery (110) is connected to the second charging terminal (12) of the battery charging device (100).

[0067] Accordingly, the (+) terminal of the battery (110) can be connected to the (+) terminal of the power supply unit (160), and the (-) terminal of the battery (110) can be connected to the (-) terminal of the power supply unit (160).

[0068] In contrast, referring to FIG. 6, the polarity conversion unit (140) can turn on the second switch (SW2) and the third switch (SW3) while the first to fourth switches (SW1 to SW4) are off, based on the fact that the (-) terminal of the battery (110) is connected to the first charging terminal (11) of the battery charging device (100) and the (+) terminal of the battery (110) is connected to the second charging terminal (12) of the battery charging device (100).

[0069] Accordingly, the (+) terminal of the battery (110) can be connected to the (+) terminal of the power supply unit (160), and the (-) terminal of the battery (110) can be connected to the (-) terminal of the power supply unit (160).

[0070] In this way, the battery charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention can prevent the power supply unit (160) and the battery (110) from being connected with opposite polarities by checking the polarity of the battery (110) connected to the charging terminals (11, 12) before connecting the battery (110) to the power supply unit (160), and changing the polarity of the charging terminals (11, 12) according to the polarity of the battery terminals.

[0071] Accordingly, the battery charging device according to the embodiment of the present invention prevents the terminals of the battery (110) and the terminals of the power supply unit (160) from being connected with different polarities, thereby preventing damage to the battery (110) and the battery charging device (100), and preventing a fire caused by such damage.

[0073] Although specific embodiments have been described in the detailed description of the present invention, it is understood that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments and should be defined by the claims set forth below and equivalents thereof. Explanation of the symbols

[0075] 100: Battery charging device 110: Battery 120: Polarity determination unit 130: Current judgment unit 140: Polarity converter 160: Power supply unit

Claims

Claim 1 A battery charging device for charging a battery, comprising: a power supply unit that supplies power to the battery; a polarity determination unit that determines the polarity of a battery terminal of the battery connected to a charging terminal of the battery charging device; and a polarity conversion unit that changes the polarity of the charging terminal according to the polarity of the battery terminal, wherein, before connecting the battery to the power supply unit, the polarity conversion unit, based on the fact that the (-) terminal of the battery is connected to a first charging terminal of the battery charging device and the (+) terminal of the battery is connected to a second charging terminal of the battery charging device, rotates the first and second charging terminals by 180 degrees using a motor to connect the first charging terminal to the (-) terminal of the power supply unit and connects the second charging terminal to the (+) terminal of the power supply unit. Claim 2 delete Claim 3 delete Claim 4 delete Claim 5 delete Claim 6 delete Claim 7 A battery charging device according to claim 1, wherein the polarity determining unit includes a voltmeter that detects the voltage between the charging terminals based on the battery terminal being connected to the charging terminal. Claim 8 A battery charging device according to claim 1, comprising an ammeter that detects the current of the battery based on the battery terminal being connected to the charging terminal, and further comprising a current determination unit that confirms the normal operation of the battery based on the current of the battery. Claim 9 delete Claim 10 delete

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