Electricity: battery or capacitor charging or discharging – Battery or cell discharging – With charging
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-01
2001-09-18
Wong, Peter S. (Department: 2838)
Electricity: battery or capacitor charging or discharging
Battery or cell discharging
With charging
Reexamination Certificate
active
06291973
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a charging apparatus. More specifically, it relates to an external discharging/charging apparatus for directly charging a battery set, or first discharging the battery set and then charging it.
2. Description of the Related Art
The conventional charging apparatus, used for charging a battery set of a notebook computer for example, can only directly charge the battery set. However, if the battery set is always charged without first effectively discharging the battery set, then both the efficiency and life of the battery set are reduced.
In general, a detecting IC device with a Gas-Gauge is provided in a battery set of a notebook computer for detecting the remaining power capacity (the voltage level) of the battery set. However, users get used to charging the battery set before its power capacity decreases to an appropriate level for charging. Therefore, the life of the battery set is reduced and the Gas-Gauge loses its accuracy.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an external discharging/charging apparatus with which users can select to directly charge a battery set or first discharge a battery set and then charge the battery set, according to their requirements.
The present invention achieves the above-indicated object by providing an external discharging/charging apparatus which comprises at least: a DC power-supplying device for supplying power to charge the battery set; a load; a first switch, wherein when the first switch is turned on, the battery set is charged by the DC power-supplying device; a second switch, wherein when the second switch is turned on, the battery set is discharged through the load; a switch controlling device, wherein when a voltage level sensed from the battery set is higher than a predetermined value, the switch controlling device turns on the second switch, otherwise turning on the first switch; and a charge-holding device.
Moreover, when the voltage level sensed from the battery set after discharging is lower than the predetermined value, the switch controlling device turns off the second switch and turns on the first switch, and the charge-holding device outputs a control signal to make the switch controlling device leave the first switch in a turned-on state. When the battery set is removed from the external discharging/charging apparatus, the control signal is eliminated so that the switch-controlling device can control the first switch in response to the voltage level sensed from the battery set.
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Mitac International Corp.
Tibbits Pia
Wong Peter S.
LandOfFree
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