Patents Examined by Pia Tibbits
  • Patent number: 7119515
    Abstract: A light polymerization device for polymerization of a polymerizable material includes a hand-held device having a multi-branch electrical supply receptacle or a multi-prong electrical supply plug for the connection of the hand-held device with the storage battery assembly or with a connection module, which, in particular, makes available a releasably connectable electrical supply connection as well as a data bus port or interface. A base station comprises a single receptacle or several receptacles for the receipt of the storage battery assembly. The base station can comprise an electrical supply plug connection via which the base station is supplied with electrical energy, especially electrical energy supplied via a power pack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2006
    Assignee: Ivoclar Vivadent AG
    Inventors: Bruno Senn, Wolfgang Plank
  • Patent number: 7116079
    Abstract: A charger has two or more separate charging ports to which two or more rechargeable batteries can be coupled, respectively. Current from a single current source is allocated to the two or more separate charging ports so that the two or more rechargeable batteries will be fully charged at substantially the same time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2006
    Assignee: Research in Motion Limited
    Inventors: Ryan Mitchell Bayne, Michael L. Purdy
  • Patent number: 7116078
    Abstract: A system for protecting the battery of a vehicle includes a device (1) for electrically disconnecting of connecting the battery (BA) with respect to an electric load (CS). The device (1) includes a switch (20, 21) and a microprocessor control circuit (15). The control circuit (15) includes a unit for calculating a mean value of the voltage of the battery (BA) and comparing it with a threshold value, in order to control the switch (20, 21). The threshold value is variable as a function of the ambient temperature and the time of inactivity of the motor. The switch includes a bistable electromagnetic arrangement, capable of passing from a first to a second stable condition following a pulse generated by the control circuit (15).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2006
    Assignee: ELTEK S.p.A.
    Inventors: Paolo Colombo, Marco Bigliati
  • Patent number: 7109684
    Abstract: An equipment and method for charging a secondary battery are provided to quickly and surely charge a secondary battery (secondary batteries) while preventing the secondary battery (batteries) from overcharging or insufficient charging. Special charging voltage Es is applied to a secondary battery for a predetermined time, and then the applied voltage is switched to equilibrium voltage Eeq for establishing equilibrium cell potential of the secondary battery in its fully charged condition, wherein the special charging value Es is larger than the equilibrium value Eeq. Electric current i is detected while application of the equilibrium voltage Eeq. If the detected electric current i is larger than standard electric current J for finishing charging, the above detection and charging are repeated; otherwise, charge of the secondary battery 1 is halted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2006
    Assignees: The New Industry Research Organization, Techno Core International Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiromi Takaoka, Shigetomo Matsui, Yutaka Iuchi, Taneo Nishino, Osamu Nakamura
  • Patent number: 7109683
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to a flashlight, a connectible recharger and a rechargeable battery pack. In particular, the recharger device includes a base connected to a housing which has at least one ribbed side wall. The ribbed side walls allow multiple recharger devices to be coupled together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2006
    Assignee: Pelican Products, Inc.
    Inventor: David H. Parker
  • Patent number: 7106027
    Abstract: Battery pack (50) may include rechargeable batteries (55) and first temperature sensor TM1 for detecting the temperature of batteries (55). Battery charger (10) may include power source circuit (32) for supplying charging current to batteries (55) of battery pack (50). Battery charger (10) may also include second temperature sensor TM2 located in the vicinity of power source circuit (32). Battery charger (10) may further include a processor for controlling power source circuit (32). The processor may select charging current that will be supplied by power source circuit (32) to batteries (55) based at least upon battery temperature from first temperature sensor TM1 and power source circuit temperature from second temperature sensor TM2, and supply the selected charging current to batteries (55).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2006
    Assignee: Makita Corporation
    Inventor: Kazuyuki Sakakibara
  • Patent number: 7105951
    Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a backup battery charging circuit capable of continuing to charge a backup battery to the limit of the voltage drop of a main battery so as to reduce the possibility of data disappearance to an achievable extent. For this purpose, a backup battery charging circuit comprises: a main battery serving as a power supply; a backward current protection diode; a regulator circuit using the main battery as the power supply; a limiting resistor; a backup battery; a switch for performing direct charging from the main battery; and a comparator for determining whether the regulator circuit or the switch is to be used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2006
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toru Matsunaga
  • Patent number: 7102330
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for controlling charging and discharging of an energy storage device. If the charging voltage that is applied exceeds a restriction determining voltage, the power value at that time is held as the charging power upper limit value. In addition, by multiplying a restriction coefficient by the charging power upper limit value while gradually reducing the restriction coefficient until the voltage drops below a restriction removal determining voltage. By setting its result as a control target value of the charging power, the charging power is gradually restricted. In contrast, if the applied charging voltage drops below the restriction removal determining voltage, the charging power is conversely gradually restored to its original state using a control target value obtained by multiplying the restriction coefficient by the charging power upper limit value while gradually increasing the restriction coefficient until the voltage equals or goes above the restriction determining voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2006
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinobu Ochiai, Kiyoshi Asami, Tomohiro Shiraishi
  • Patent number: 7102329
    Abstract: Measuring the voltage level of a mobile telephone battery during a charging operation involves disabling the charge temporarily so that the battery rapidly enters discharge mode. The discharge mode voltage is more representative of the true battery charge level, so that the present invention can be implemented to provide a battery charge level display that is accurate even when the telephone is being charged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2006
    Assignee: Donavan Developments Limited
    Inventor: Sebastian Soyer
  • Patent number: 7098665
    Abstract: A method for predicting the internal resistance of an energy storage battery in assumed environmental and battery state conditions includes subdividing the internal resistance into a first resistance component which represents the electrical resistance of the energy storage battery for the region of electron conduction and a second resistance component which represents the electrical resistance of the energy storage battery for the region of ion conduction. The method also includes determining the first and second resistance components to be expected for the assumed environmental and battery state conditions. Each of the first and second resistance components are determined as a function of parameters of the assumed environmental and battery state conditions. Monitoring devices or computer programs may be utilized to carry out the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2006
    Assignee: VB Autobatterie GmbH
    Inventor: Helmut Laig-Hoerstebrock
  • Patent number: 7098626
    Abstract: A power supply apparatus has a battery and a temperature detection circuit. The battery has n battery cells, and the temperature detection circuit has m temperature detection units. Each temperature detection units has a temperature sensor that is thermally coupled to one or more of the battery cells and whose electrical resistance decreases as the temperature of the battery cell or battery cells to which it is thermally coupled increases, a serial resistor that is connected in series with the temperature sensor, and a first diode whose cathode is connected to the node between the temperature sensor and the serial resistor. The serial circuit formed by the temperature sensor and the serial resistor receives a predetermined voltage such that, as the electrical resistance of the temperature sensor decreases, the voltage at the node decreases. The first diodes have anodes thereof connected together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2006
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Seo, Kimihiko Furukawa, Isao Arai
  • Patent number: 7098625
    Abstract: In charge rate estimating apparatus and method for a secondary cell, a current flowing through the secondary cell is measured, a voltage across terminals of the secondary cell is measured, an adaptive digital filtering is carried out using a cell model in a continuous time series shown in an equation (1), all of parameters at one time are estimated, the parameters corresponding to an open-circuit voltage which is an offset term of the equation (1) and coefficients of A(s), B(s), and C(s) which are transient terms, and, the charge rate is estimated from a relationship between a previously derived open-circuit voltage V0 and the charge rate SOC using the open-circuit voltage V0, V = B ? ( s ) A ? ( s ) · I + 1 C ? ( s ) · V 0 , ( 1 ) wherein s denotes a Laplace transform operator, A(s), B(s), and C(s) denote poly-nominal functions of s.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2006
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Daijiro Yumoto, Hideo Nakamura
  • Patent number: 7095212
    Abstract: A battery pack has a secondary battery connected to a plus side terminal. A protective circuit protects the secondary battery from overcharge and over-discharge. A calculation circuit operates with a minus side terminal as a reference for calculating a remaining capacity of the secondary battery. An N-channel MOS transistor is connected between the secondary battery and the minus terminal for controlling charge and discharge of the secondary battery in accordance with a signal from the protective circuit. A level shifter circuit is connected between the calculation circuit and a communication terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2006
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Minoru Sudo, Takashi Niwa, Norio Chiba, Susumu Ichihara
  • Patent number: 7091700
    Abstract: The battery assembly system 100 includes a battery assembly including a plurality of storage batteries C1 to Cn connected in series, a voltage detector 3 for detecting respectively voltages generated in the storage batteries, a current detector 4 for detecting a current flowing in the plurality of storage batteries, a state-of-charge (SOC) calculator 2 for calculating the state of charge (SOC) of the storage batteries, respectively, based on the voltages detected respectively by the voltage detectors 3 and the current detected by the current detector 4, and a charging/discharging unit 1 for charging or discharging at least one of the plurality of storage batteries so as to equalize the SOC of the storage batteries calculated respectively by the SOC calculator 2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2006
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Eiji Kadouchi, Kanji Takada
  • Patent number: 7091695
    Abstract: Lower order control devices control plural battery cells configuring plural battery modules. An input terminal of the low order control device in the highest potential, an output terminal of the low order control device in the lowest potential, and a high order control device are connected by isolating units, photocouplers. Diodes which prevent a discharge current of the battery cells in the battery modules are disposed between the output terminal of the low order control device and the battery cells in the battery module on the low potential side. Terminals related to input/output of a signal are electrically connected without isolating among the plural low order control devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2006
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Shin-Kobe Electric Machinery Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideki Miyazaki, Akihiko Emori, Akihiko Kudo, Tsuyoshi Kai
  • Patent number: 7091698
    Abstract: The present invention is relative to a battery capacity calculating method including a reference discharge curve calculating step of finding a discharge curve, operating as a reference, a corrected voltage calculating step of correcting a measured voltage V1 of the battery with a component of an electrical resistance to find a corrected voltage V, and a capacity calculating step of finding the discharging capacity of the battery from the discharge curve, operating as a reference, using the corrected voltage V. The capacity calculating step includes a sub-step of calculating a capacity deterioration index S, as a ratio of capacity decrease caused by battery deterioration. The discharging capacity, calculated from the discharging capacity, operating as a reference, using the corrected voltage V, is further multiplied with the capacity deterioration index S to calculate the discharging capacity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2006
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuo Yamazaki, Tsuyonobu Hatazawa, Takashi Tomita, Tamon Ikeda, Ryuichi Nawa, Yuuichi Ishikawa, Masanori Hori
  • Patent number: 7091699
    Abstract: Battery pack 10 may include rechargeable battery 12 and remaining capacity indicating circuit 14 for indicating the remaining capacity of the battery 12. Remaining capacity indicating circuit 14 may be coupled to the battery 12 via first switch SW1. When first switch SW1 is turned ON, a current flows from battery 12 to remaining capacity indicating circuit 14. When the first switch SW1 is turned OFF, the current flowing from battery 12 to remaining capacity indicating circuit 14 is turned OFF. The first switch SW1 may be coupled to first voltage detecting circuit (R2, R3) for detecting the voltage of battery 12. When the voltage that is being detected of battery 12 falls below a first predetermined value, first switch SW1 is turned off. Battery pack 10 may further include cut-off circuit (SW2, R4, R5) that cuts off the flow of current from battery 12 to first voltage detecting circuit (R2, R3) when first switch SW1 has been turned OFF.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2006
    Assignee: Makita Corporation
    Inventors: Tatsuki Mori, Kazuyuki Sakakibara, Masaaki Fukumoto
  • Patent number: 7091696
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for regulating state of charge in a battery assembly in which respective voltages across unit cells can be equalized in a short time. Among a plurality of unit cells B1 to B4 . . . Bn, the unit cell having the largest voltage across the cell is referred to as the largest unit cell, and the unit cell having the smallest voltage across the cell is referred to as the smallest unit cell. Electric charge is transferred from the largest unit cell to a capacitor CB so that the voltage across the capacitor CB may be made higher than the voltage across the largest unit cell. Thereafter, the electric charge is transferred from the capacitor CB to the smallest unit cell thereby to equalize the voltages across the unit cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2006
    Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
    Inventors: Tsutomu Saigo, Ken Ito
  • Patent number: 7088076
    Abstract: A power management topology for portable electronic devices that includes a feed-enabled AC/DC adapter that receives feedback data from a charge controller associated with the portable device. The feedback data can include battery charging current, battery voltage, or power requirements of the portable device. Using the feedback data, the external AC/DC adapter can adjust the DC output to meet the charging requirement of the battery and/or the power requirements of the portable device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2006
    Assignee: O2Micro International Limited
    Inventors: William L. Densham, Vlad Mihail Popescu-Stanesti, Constantin Spiridon
  • Patent number: 7081737
    Abstract: A monitoring circuit for accurately monitoring a voltage level from each of a plurality of battery cells of a battery pack includes an analog to digital converter (ADC) and a processor. The ADC is configured to accept an analog voltage signal from each of the plurality of battery cells and convert each analog voltage signal to a digital signal representative of an accurate voltage level of each battery cell. The processor receives such signals and provides a safety alert signal based on at least one of the signals. The ADC resolution may be adjustable. A balancing circuit provides a balancing signal if at least two of the digital signals indicate a voltage difference between two cells is greater than a battery cell balance threshold. An electronic device including such monitoring and balancing circuits is also provided. Various methods are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2006
    Assignee: O2Micro International Limited
    Inventors: Liusheng Liu, Guoxing Li