Electricity: battery or capacitor charging or discharging – Battery or cell discharging – With charging
Patent
1996-09-10
1998-08-11
Tso, Edward
Electricity: battery or capacitor charging or discharging
Battery or cell discharging
With charging
320DIG21, 320132, H01M 1046
Patent
active
057931887
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a method of conditioning accumulators fixedly mounted in an apparatus.
A method of this type is already known from the operating instructions for the "Braun Micron S" electric shaver, date of print October 1986. The section captioned "Preserving the Cells" describes that the full capacity of the cells will be preserved if they are fully charged before the first shave and then completely discharged by shaving. Then they should be recharged to full capacity. This charging/discharging process should be repeated about twice a year. To be able to do this, the user of the shaving apparatus is required to remember at least roughly the time when such a discharge/charge cycle was performed last. On the basis of this, the user is then again required to calculate the time when the next discharge/charge cycle is due. Changing the cells is through the line by plugging an appliance plug into an outlet and suitably rectifying and transforming the line voltage.
Further, from the field of electrically powered toothbrushes it is known to provide a toothbrush holder with a connection to a power supply. In this arrangement, the accumulator of the toothbrush is charged by inductance when the toothbrush is inserted into its receptacle.
From DE 33 40 882 C1 it is known to discharge an accumulator via a resistor with a positive temperature coefficient for the purpose of conditioning the accumulator. In discharging the accumulator, the resistor is intended to ensure an accumulator temperature as uniform as possible, in that the power input of the resistor adapts to the temperature, while at the same time the resistor and the accumulator are connected to each other such that a heat exchange occurs. When the accumulator is discharged, a recharging cycle is to follow.
Still further, from DE 32 05 390 A1 and DE 42 19 999 A1 methods are known in which a a microprocessor is utilized for effecting a discharge of an accumulator prior to charging it.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to facilitate the use of an accumulator-operated apparatus as much as possible while at the same time maximizing the useful life of the accumulator.
According to the present invention, this object is accomplished with the characterizing features of counting in a usage counter a number of times the apparatus is used, and upon attainment of a predetermined count and when the apparatus is connected to a power line, cycling the apparatus by discharging the accumulator through a load, subsequently recharging the accumulator, and resetting the usage counter. Advantageously, the discharge/charge cycles of the accumulator are executed only if the apparatus is connected to the line, so that the apparatus is not discharged when a subsequent charging operation is not possible. This means that the apparatus is connected to the line via the power plug, or the associated holder is connected to the line while the apparatus is inserted into the holder.
By contrast, the prior art referred to does not provide an indication of how the instant of time at which such an accumulator conditioning operation should be performed could be detected automatically.
With the feature of incrementing the usage counter on powering up the apparatus if a predetermined time period has elapsed since the last use it is advantageously prevented that an accidental turning on of the apparatus followed by turning off during a use are considered in the usage count.
The feature of aborting the discharging of the accumulator if during discharging the apparatus is disconnected from the power line or the apparatus is turned on is suitable to prevent complete draining of the accumulator when during an accumulator discharge cycle an unforeseen operating conditions occurs.
The arrangement wherein cycling the apparatus is not started until after a predetermined time period from a completed use of the apparatus has expired prevents the accumulator from being drained when the apparatus is disconnected from the line following
REFERENCES:
patent: 4455523 (1984-06-01), Koenck
patent: 4703247 (1987-10-01), Morioka
patent: 4775827 (1988-10-01), Ijntema et al.
patent: 4835453 (1989-05-01), Muning Schmidt et al.
patent: 4849681 (1989-07-01), Munnig Schmidt et al.
patent: 4885523 (1989-12-01), Koenck
patent: 4931737 (1990-06-01), Hishiki
International Search Report dated May 30, 1995.
Cimbal Jochen
Kaiser Manfred
Braun Aktiengesellschaft
Tso Edward
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