Abstract: The present invention provides a power converter for recreational vehicle (RV) batteries that uses time and ambient temperature to control output voltage. By employing a remote temperature sensor attached to the battery post, temperature information is sent to an output voltage control circuit in the power converter. When the power converter is powered up an internal timing circuit increases the output voltage by a preset amount for a timed period for rapid charging but is also adjusted to predetermined temperature curve controlled by the remote temperature sensor to prevent overcharge. The output voltage is held at the increased value until the internal timing circuit times out and the output voltage is reduced (setback) to the float voltage determined by the remote temperature sensor.

Abstract: In accordance with various embodiments, there is a method for determining the specific gravity of a battery. Various embodiments include the steps of applying an increasing current ramp to a battery and measuring a response voltage of the battery when the increasing current ramp is applied to the battery. When the current ramp reaches a predetermined current a decreasing current is supplied to the battery and the battery's voltage response is measured. The specific gravity of the battery can be determined based on the voltage response of the battery to the applied current ramp.

Abstract: Two capacitors and at least one inductor are used to create an alternating magnetic field for use in electric motors. Charge leaving one capacitor passes through the inductor, creating a magnetic field, and is captured by the second capacitor. Energy is added to the second capacitor which is then discharged through the inductor to the first capacitor, creating a magnetic field of opposite polarity as that created by the first discharge.

Abstract: A battery pack apparatus is configured with a battery pack composed of a plurality of rechargeable batteries arranged in parallel with cooling medium passages formed therebetween, and a cross flow fan which faces a distribution space formed adjacent to one side of the battery pack to supply or discharge cooling medium with respect to each of the cooling medium passages, and which is disposed such that the rotational axis thereof follows the aligning direction of the rechargeable batteries. The axial position of the fan is eccentric in the direction of movement of an impeller at an intake chamber side with respect to a center line of the distribution space, the line perpendicular to the aligning direction of the rechargeable batteries. The rechargeable batteries are uniformly cooled within a compact configuration.

Abstract: An arc-fault detecting circuit-breaker system is used in conjunction with a protected electrical circuit whose current flow is to be interrupted upon the occurrence of an overcurrent fault or an arc fault. The arc-fault detecting circuit breaker system includes a normally closed circuit breaker, an arc-fault detector of the occurrence of an arc fault in the protected electrical circuit, and a circuit-breaker activating element operable responsive to the detector. The circuit-breaker activating element opens the circuit breaker in the event that the detector detects an arc fault in the protected electrical circuit. A status indicator structure, preferably in the form of a two-part pop-up button, has a first status indicator element which indicates the opening of the circuit breaker due to the overcurrent fault, and a second status indicator element which indicates the opening of the circuit breaker due to the arc fault.

Abstract: A protection system for an electrical power line system of the type comprising radially connected power line sections, wherein a first electrically upstream one of the line sections is connectable to a power source. The protection system comprises at least one relay installed at or near at least the upstream end of each line section to protect that line section, each relay having an associated circuit breaker. The relays are provided with a first set of accelerated overcurrent functions and a second set of under-current/under-voltage functions, the relays being directional and the first and second sets of functions being time graded in reverse to each other.

Abstract: A method for selecting unit cells to make an optimal battery pack improves the performance of the battery pack with primary or secondary batteries connected to one another in series, in parallel, or in a combination of them. The method for selecting unit cells to make the optimal battery pack includes measuring the impedance spectrum of the individual unit cells in a predetermined frequency region, fitting the impedance spectrum to an equivalent circuit model composed of parameters including resistance and capacitance components, calculating total resistances from the fitted parameters, and making the battery pack with unit cells of a similar total resistance.

Abstract: A method for equalizing a storage parameter for a vehicle energy storage system having one or more energy storage banks associated therewith includes identifying a quiescent period of operation for the vehicle, and determining whether the value of a defined storage quantity for a first energy storage bank differs from the value of the defined storage quantity for a second energy storage bank by a threshold amount. During the quiescent period of operation, one of the first and second energy storage banks is discharged and the other of the first and second energy storage banks is charged. The one of the first and second energy storage banks corresponds to the bank having the value of the defined storage quantity exceeding the value of the defined storage quantity of the other of the first and second energy storage banks.

Abstract: A voltage detecting apparatus for a combination battery includes a multiplexer type flying capacitor voltage detecting circuit, a synchronous control type A/D converter, and a battery controller. The battery controller has a timing table to regulate generation timings of a switching control signal, an activation signal, and a transfer command signal on a common time axis. The timing control is carried out by outputting the switching control signal, the activation signal, and the transfer command signal to the flying capacitor voltage detecting circuit, the A/D converter, and the battery controller at the timing regulated in the timing table and according to an order memorized in the timing table.

Abstract: A battery calculating method, apparatus, and program are provided. The battery capacity calculating method and apparatus can very accurately calculate a residual capacity of a secondary battery especially in the last stage of discharging independently of environmental conditions such as a temperature or a deteriorated state. the battery capacity calculating apparatus is equipped with a voltage measuring circuit which measures the terminal voltage (Vmea) of a battery at the time of discharging, a current measuring circuit which measures the current value (I) of the battery at the time of discharging, and a control circuit which calculates a residual capacity and/or residual power.

Abstract: Disposed in a secondary side circuit of an AC adapter (10A), a??I detection circuit (45) detects that a charging current (Ic) lowers less than a set current value to produce a detected signal. A voltage control circuit (42A) operates so as to repeat the steps of gradually lowering an adapter voltage (VADP) and of heightening the adapter voltage in response to the detected signal.

Abstract: A power supply apparatus according to the present invention includes a battery and a voltage detection circuit for detecting the voltage of the battery. The voltage detection circuit includes a differential amplifier which has a first input terminal for receiving a voltage based on the voltage of the battery and a second input terminal for receiving a predetermined triangular wave and outputs a rectangular wave with a pulse width modulated according to the voltage based on the voltage of the battery and a predetermined offset voltage, and an offset circuit which supplies the offset voltage to one of the first input terminal and the second input terminal so that the differential amplifier outputs a particular rectangular wave according to the offset voltage even when the voltage based on the voltage of the battery which is supplied to the first input terminal is 0.

Abstract: A static discharging system includes a post having a lower end and an upper end. The lower end is selectively mounted in a ground surface adjacent to a gas pumping station such that the post extends upwardly from the ground surface. An electrically conductive plate is attached to the upper end of the post. An electrical conduit has first end electrically coupled to the plate and a second end extending into the ground surface.

Abstract: A device (8) for determining the energy state of an energy storing device (7) of a data carrier (4) in which a voltage stabilizer (9) is used to derive a stabilized DC voltage for the supply of the data carrier from an unstabilized DC voltage available at the energy storing device. The device (8) has an evaluation circuit that includes an auxiliary capacitor (13), a measurement circuit (15, 16, 21) for measuring the charging times of the auxiliary capacitor, and an evaluation logic (18). A quantity describing the energy state of the energy storing device is provided at the output of the evaluation circuit.

Abstract: A current trip point detection circuit includes a transistor, a series of resistors, an amplifier, a comparator, and a series of switching circuits. The first transistor and the resistors are configured as an inverting gain stage. The amplifier cooperates with the first transistor to operate in a negative feedback arrangement. The gain in the feedback loop is adjusted by selective activation of additional transistors, where each additional transistor lowers the overall loop gain. The comparator is selectively coupled to a tap point in a voltage divider that is formed by resistors. The voltage divider tap point is selected to set a threshold for detection. The trip point is detected by the comparator, and may be adjusted between high and low trip points through the various configurations of the gain and voltage divider tap points via the switching circuits.

Abstract: A static electricity eliminating apparatus comprising; (A) a first electrically conductive piece and a second electrically conductive piece which are disposed so as to face each other through an insulating layer, and (B) a discharge means having one end electrically connected to the first electrically conductive piece and other end electrically connected to the second electrically conductive piece, wherein a charge electrostatically induced in the first electrically conductive piece and the second electrically conductive piece due to a contact of a static-electricity-charged object with the first electrically conductive piece is accumulated between the first electrically conductive piece and the second electrically conductive piece by dielectric polarization, and then, the charge is discharged with the discharge means in a state where the first electrically conductive piece and the second electrically conductive piece are not grounded.

Abstract: An automotive charger flashing light array consisting of a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) disposed on a charger. The LEDs are connected to a programmable integrated circuit in a charging circuit such that when the automotive charger is recharging a mobile telephone battery, the programmable integrated circuit outputs control signals that cause the plurality of LEDs to illuminate in various sequences to indicate the state of charging, while also increasing the added value of the automotive charger.

Abstract: An overvoltage and backflow current protection circuit is employed when charging a battery. A switching circuit controls bias to the protection circuit to switch between overvoltage protection and backflow current protection.

Abstract: A soft-switching multiple output fly-back converter provides output cyclying sequence control. Each of the multiple output circuits includes a bi-directional switching circuit which provides for flexible reconfiguration of the output cycling sequence. Further, the novel circuit allows each of the individual outputs, or any combination thereof, to be independently turned ‘off’ (i.e., removed from the cycling sequence) and re-introduced (i.e., turned ‘on’ again) at a later time as needed.

Abstract: A DC-to-DC regulator that includes a multi-phase synchronous buck regulator having a pulse width modulator to generate a plurality of switching signals, a plurality of drivers, each coupled to receive one of the switching signals, and a plurality of switching voltage converters, each coupled to receive an output from one of the drivers and an input voltage, wherein the outputs of the switching voltage converters are combined to form an output voltage. The multi-phase synchronous buck regulator can be implemented on a motherboard, such as on an interposer board or directly on a PU chip.