US 12,113,377 B2
Battery charger with automatic battery type identification
Michael T. Miles, Niles, MI (US)
Assigned to CHENG USA INC.
Filed by CHENG USA INC., South San Francisco, CA (US)
Filed on Oct. 15, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/070,974.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/035,096, filed on Jun. 5, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0384740 A1, Dec. 9, 2021
Int. Cl. H02J 7/00 (2006.01)
CPC H02J 7/00032 (2020.01) [H02J 7/0047 (2013.01); H02J 7/00712 (2020.01)] 27 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A battery charger comprising:
an electrical charging circuit comprising one or more of a controlled voltage source, a controlled current source or a controlled power source configured to apply electrical power to a battery to be charged;
a processor electrically connected to the electrical charging circuit, wherein the processor is configured to control one or more of current or voltage of the electrical charging circuit;
a non-transitory, computer-readable storage media comprising a plurality of instructions stored thereon that, in response to being executed, cause the processor to:
identify the battery to be charged as a first battery type when, after the charge current begins to decrease near charge completion, a rate at which the charge current decreases or a rate at which the charge voltage increases is greater than a threshold value;
identify the battery to be charged as a second battery type when, after the charge current begins to decrease near charge completion, the rate at which the charge current decreases or the rate at which the charge voltage increases is less than a threshold value; and
control one or more of voltage or current of the electrical charging circuit based on identification of the battery type of the battery to be charged as either the first battery type or the second battery type.