Patents Examined by Kristine Peckman
-
Patent number: 5329220Abstract: An electronic shunt control circuit for use in conjunction with battery charging circuits is disclosed. The circuit precludes the possibility of current eminating from charged batteries from DC biasing the control coil and shunt therefor, when there is no AC electrical energy being supplied to the circuit--such as during the occurrence of an AC power failure. Precluding such DC biasing is accomplished through the use of a plurality of blocking diodes located between the output to the battery and the control coil and shunt. A few milliamperes of current are acceptably permitted to flow back from the battery to the sensing and control circuit portion of the charging circuit, so as to maintain surveillance on the status of the battery and of the circuits; but no DC current is permitted, in the instance of an AC power outage to flow back from the battery through the control coil of the input AC reactor, due to the presence of the blocking or isolating diodes.Type: GrantFiled: September 17, 1990Date of Patent: July 12, 1994Inventor: Alfred M. Hase
-
Patent number: 5317249Abstract: A battery charger for charging a battery (4) for a radio (12), is provided having two terminals (6 and 8). A charging circuit (24 and 26) has a controllable parameter for charging the battery (4). An operational mode detector (30) is coupled to the two terminals (6 and 8) for detecting an operational mode of the radio. A control circuit (22) is coupled to the operational mode detector (30) and to the charging circuit (24 and 26) for controlling the controllable parameter in response to the operational mode detected.Type: GrantFiled: July 15, 1991Date of Patent: May 31, 1994Assignee: Motorola, Inc.Inventor: Robert B. Ford
-
Patent number: 5245268Abstract: A battery charging device is used in charging a rechargeable battery load and is to be connected to an external dc power source. The battery charging device has a current stabilizer, which serially interconnects the power source and the battery load and which includes at least one posistor device, and a thermal circuit breaker, which is connected to the battery load and which breaks electrical connection between the battery load and the power source when the temperature of the battery load has risen to a predetermined level which indicates that the battery load has been fully recharged.Type: GrantFiled: April 15, 1992Date of Patent: September 14, 1993Inventor: Jason Wang
-
Patent number: 5245266Abstract: A battery charger comprises a housing, charging means in the housing which, in use, for connection to an electrical outlet and an upper plate releasably attached to the housing, the upper plate having battery receiving means to accommodate a predetermined size battery, the housing being adapted to receive upper plates which differ in formation so as to receive batteries of different dimension.Type: GrantFiled: November 6, 1991Date of Patent: September 14, 1993Inventor: Michael M. Yuen
-
Patent number: 5237260Abstract: An engine-operated generator system utilizes the switching elements of an inverter transformation circuit to accomplish starting. The starter circuit includes a battery, one electrode of which is connected to one terminal of a smoothing capacitor connected between the DC terminals of the inverter transformation circuit in such a manner that the electrode and the terminal are of the same polarity. The other electrode is connected to one of the output terminals of an AC generator system through a switch which is closed to start the engine, and which is connected to a reactor forming an LC circuit. In starting the engine, the rectifier circuit is driven in an inverter transformation mode, one of the switching elements in the inverter transformation circuit which is connected between the reactor and the one terminal of the smoothing capacitor being driven in a chopper mode. The inverter transformation circuit is formed by bridge-connecting switching elements each having a flywheel diode.Type: GrantFiled: November 13, 1991Date of Patent: August 17, 1993Assignees: Shinko Electric Co., Ltd., Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Yuzo Takakado, Hirohiko Murata, Takumi Yoshida, Hirotaka Kumakura
-
Patent number: 5233285Abstract: A regulator device for charging a battery from an alternator that delivers a rectified voltage including a ripple component. The device is of the type including a regulator circuit acting on the mean value of the rectified alternator voltage and includes a circuit for obtaining the main value, a threshold comparator, a time delay circuit, and a power stage for controlling the current flowing through the excitation winding of the alternator. According to the invention, the device includes a negative feedback circuit between a point downstream from the time delay circuit, and the input to the circuit for obtaining the mean value. The device also shifts the mean value downwards during periods when the excitation current is decreasing. The device is particularly applicable to increasing the frequency of regulation under a heavy load.Type: GrantFiled: November 25, 1991Date of Patent: August 3, 1993Assignee: Valeo Equipemento Electriques MoteurInventors: Jean M. Pierret, Didier Canitrot, Alessio Pennisi, Fabio Marchio
-
Patent number: 5233281Abstract: A replaceable cartridge type high speed nickel-cadmium battery charger comprising a base, a circuit board, an upper cover, and a replaceable charger cartridge, in which the base has a hollow interior space and a round hole in the middle; the circuit board with circuits on it is assembled within the hollow interior space of the base; the upper cover has a plurality of convectional radiation holes on the left side of its upper surface, a LED indicator at its left edge, and a replaceable charger cartridge chamber on the right side; and the replaceable charger cartridge has a battery chamber, two conductive metal plates at the front side and a lock hole on the bottom so as it can be placed in and removed from the charger cartridge chamber, and locked to the base by means of a bolt passing through the round hole in the middle of the base to the lock hole.Type: GrantFiled: December 2, 1991Date of Patent: August 3, 1993Assignees: Wen-Chi Chiang, Deh-Chun Lee, Kan-Chuan Su, Yen-Chien JiangInventors: Wen-Chi Chiang, Ming-Kang Yu, Kan-Chuan Su, Yen-Chien Jiang
-
Patent number: 5233286Abstract: The problem of providing isolated DC power in a 270 volt DC power system (10) has been resolved with the use of a DC--DC converter (44) for providing isolated DC power on busses (46-48) for powering pulsating loads (66), avionics DC loads (68) and AC loads (64). The use of the converter (44) further allows for reduction in size of ripple filters (92-94) and damper circuits (50-52).Type: GrantFiled: July 29, 1991Date of Patent: August 3, 1993Assignee: Sundstrand CorporationInventors: Gregory I. Rozman, Paul E. Nuechterlein, Albert L. Markunas, Madan L. Bansal
-
Patent number: 5229705Abstract: A charging control circuit having a controller including a microcomputer, a charging circuit, detectors for detecting the voltages between the terminals of batteries, and memories for storing charge control data. The controller determines that quick charging is completed when the voltage between the terminals of each battery drops from a peak value to an extent corresponding to a predetermined value stored in the memory, and then terminates the charging operation. During a predetermined period of insensible time immediately after the start of charging stored in the memory, the controller does not detect the voltage to determine whether or not each battery is fully charged, thereby preventing an error in determining a fully charged state of the battery. If a full charge of each battery is not detected while quick charging is continued for a certain period of time stored in the memory, the controller forcibly terminates the quickly charging operation.Type: GrantFiled: July 30, 1991Date of Patent: July 20, 1993Assignee: Nippon Densan CorporationInventor: Tadashi Kato
-
Patent number: 5225764Abstract: Regulator circuitry for connection to field coils of an alternator in an electrical system of a vehicle having a system voltage maintained by the alternator includes circuitry for providing a variable drive to the field coils of the alternator, and circuitry for generating a velocity signal related to a rotational velocity of a driven shaft of the alternator. The regulator circuitry also includes circuitry for producing a deviation signal when the system voltage deviates more than a predetermined amount from a predetermined value, and circuitry responsive to the deviation signal to vary the field coil drive to the alternator at a rate dependent upon the velocity signal. In addition a method is presented for regulating the voltage delivered by an alternator in an electrical system having a system voltage maintained by the alternator.Type: GrantFiled: November 29, 1991Date of Patent: July 6, 1993Assignee: SGS-Thomson Microelectronics, Inc.Inventor: Scott L. Falater
-
Patent number: 5225762Abstract: A battery charger providing a fast charge while the output voltage of the battery does not exceed a reference voltage. The battery charger providing a self-discharge interval after the output voltage exceeds the predetermined reference voltage.Type: GrantFiled: April 29, 1991Date of Patent: July 6, 1993Inventor: George Langford
-
Patent number: 5221886Abstract: The invention relates to a regulator device for charging a battery by an alternator that delivers a rectified voltage including a ripple component. The device is of the type comprising a regulator circuit acting on the mean value of the rectified alternator voltage and a regulator circuit acting on the voltages of the positive peaks of the ripple component. The regulator circuits are powered by a stabilized voltage derived from the rectified alternator voltage and the device further comprises a power stage for controlling the excitation current of the alternator. According to the invention, the device further includes a regulator circuit acting on the values of the negative peaks of the ripple component. This regulator circuit is also powered by the stabilized voltage, and capable of causing the excitation current to be reduced whenever the voltage of the negative peaks falls below a given threshold.Type: GrantFiled: November 25, 1991Date of Patent: June 22, 1993Assignees: Valeo Equipements Electriques Moteur, SGS-Thomson Microelectronics S.r.l.Inventors: Jean M. Pierret, Didier Canitrot, Alessio Pennisi, Fabio Marchio
-
Patent number: 5220270Abstract: A charging device for a portable battery device in which the device includes a housing and a contact unit for charging engagement with the battery device. The contact unit is secured in place within the housing by wedging the platform of the contact unit under a beveled lip. The platform is then secured in place by a retaining ring.Type: GrantFiled: April 24, 1992Date of Patent: June 15, 1993Assignee: Automatic Technologies, Inc.Inventor: Andreas Peickert
-
Patent number: 5218284Abstract: A rechargeable battery (10) comprises at least one cell (7) having a positive and a negative terminal. Switching regulation circuitry (9) coupled to the cell (7) is selectively used for regulating the battery output (28) and for regulating the charging (12) of the battery.Type: GrantFiled: December 31, 1990Date of Patent: June 8, 1993Assignee: Motorola, Inc.Inventors: Arthur G. Burns, Robert E. Stengel
-
Patent number: 5218285Abstract: An electronic device (100) having a battery (116) with an associated battery voltage. The battery (116) includes a plurality of cells configured to form a plurality of battery portions (116A and 116B). The electronic device (100) also includes a regulator (102), a first circuit (118), and a swith control circuit (106). The regulator (102) operates on the battery voltage and produces a regulated voltage. The first circuit (118) operated on the battery voltage. The switch control circuit (106) alternately applies the regulated voltage to the plurality of battery portions (116A and 116B) so as to charge the battery (116).Type: GrantFiled: December 16, 1991Date of Patent: June 8, 1993Assignee: Motorola, Inc.Inventors: Stephen G. Carlton, Lorenzo Cruger, Jr.
-
Patent number: 5214371Abstract: A voltage regulating system for a permanent magnet alternating current generator that has a rotor and a three phase Y-connected output winding. The system has first and second three phase full wave bridge rectifiers each comprised of a plurality of controlled rectifiers. The ends of the phase windings of the output winding are connected to the AC input terminals of the first bridge rectifier. The phase windings are connected to taps and these taps are located between the neutral and the ends of the phase windings. The taps are connected to the AC input terminals of the second bridge rectifier. The first bridge rectifier is enabled and the second bridge rectifier is disabled at speeds of rotation of the rotor below a predetermined speed. At rotor speeds above the predetermined speed, the first bridge rectifier is disabled and the second bridge rectifier is enabled.Type: GrantFiled: December 4, 1991Date of Patent: May 25, 1993Assignee: General Motors CorporationInventor: Malakondaiah Naidu
-
Patent number: 5214368Abstract: A standard automobile battery is modified to contain a set of retractable jumper cables, pre-attached to the positive and negative terminals of the battery. The cables are housed in a separate chamber formed either internally in a modified battery casing or externally in an auxiliary structure augmenting the usual casing. A bulb is connected across the cables to provide visual indication of good cable contact. Jumper clamps are made luminescent.Type: GrantFiled: December 31, 1991Date of Patent: May 25, 1993Inventor: Mickey D. Wells
-
Patent number: 5212439Abstract: The charging apparatus for charging a secondary battery by controlling the charging current on the basis of the change with time of the voltage of the secondary battery through sampling of the voltage. The voltage of the secondary battery is sampled by use of a voltage/frequency converter which converts the voltage of the secondary battery to pulses of a frequency corresponding to the voltage and a counter which counts the converted pulses for a predetermined time with a predetermined cycle. The counting time of the counter is set to be larger than half a cycle of a commercial alternating current source used as a charging power source. Short duration fluctuations in the battery voltage due to charging power source variations are compensated for because the average voltage during this time is converted to digital values, thus making it possible to sample the voltage of the secondary battery correctly without being influenced by the change of the voltage of the power source.Type: GrantFiled: April 2, 1991Date of Patent: May 18, 1993Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.Inventors: Masato Sano, Toru Morioka
-
Patent number: 5210480Abstract: A control device of a vehicle-mounted, self-excited alternator for supplying a field current to its field coil and selectively a charge current to a battery and a power to a high voltage electric load of the vehicle comprises a field current detector for detecting field current flowing through the field coil and a field current limiter which includes a reference device for providing a fixed reference value, a comparator for comparing the field current detected by the field current detector with the fixed reference value and a voltage regulator control device responsive to an output of the comparator to control the voltage regulator to cut-off the field current when the field current detected is larger than the reference value.Type: GrantFiled: March 20, 1992Date of Patent: May 11, 1993Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki K.K.Inventors: Shiro Iwatani, Yoshiyuki Iwaki
-
Patent number: 5208525Abstract: An electric supply device for the cordless operation of electrical appliances has a holder fixed to the electrical appliance for detachably locking and substantially exposing a mounting support of a storage unit. For electrical contact connection, approximately in the plane of a countersunk bearing surface, the storage unit has flat, rigid contacting contacts, with which are associated corresponding countercontacting contacts in the vicinity of the associated counterbearing surface of the holder. The contacting contacts are proximate to a hinge axis formed by a projecting hinged cam and a cam pocket between the storage unit and the holder, so that a favorable leverage is obtained. For detachable locking, two separately, but simultaneously, operable locks are provided in the vicinity of the other end of the storage unit, in which the holder is substantially embedded.Type: GrantFiled: October 15, 1991Date of Patent: May 4, 1993Assignee: Gardena Kress + Kastner GmbHInventors: Franz Lopic, Johann Katzer, Wolfgang Lindermeir