Abstract: The present invention provides a method of charging a rechargeable device (108) and a charging apparatus wherein the rechargeable device (108) is connected to a battery connection port (107) and ground (106), an external DC source having an input voltage (114) is connected to an input resistor (101) of a charging apparatus, a current reference value (109) and a voltage reference value (110) are fed to a control unit (104), a duty cycle (d) is determined in accordance with the current reference value (109) and the voltage reference value (110) fed to the control unit (104), and, using the duty cycle (d), an output voltage (402, 403) applied to the rechargeable device (108) is switched between a minimum output voltage (404) and a maximum output voltage (405) dependent on the current reference value (109) an the voltage reference value (110) by means of a charging switch (103).

Abstract: A system for equalizing the voltages across first and second batteries coupled in series at a common terminal comprising a capacitive storage element, first and second inductive storage elements, first and second switch circuits, and a control unit. The capacitive storage element is coupled to first and second nodes. The first inductive storage element is coupled between the first node and the first battery. The second inductive storage element is coupled between the second node and the second battery. The first switch circuit is coupled between the first node and the common terminal. The second switch circuit is coupled between the second node and the common terminal. The control circuit operates the first and second switch circuits to control current flow to the first and second batteries.

Abstract: A method of calculating capacity of an intelligent battery is provided for, whereby an intelligent battery and a portable electronic device are capable of allowing for power consumption by a minute current undetectable by a conventional circuit without any special cost required so as to consequently allow an error of capacity data to be smaller.

Abstract: A power supply (1) for a pulsed load (2) includes a first energy storage device in the form of a battery (3) which is in parallel with a second energy storage device in the form of a supercapacitor (4). Battery (3) and supercapacitor (4) are respectively modelled as: an ideal battery (7) in series with an internal resistance (8); and an ideal capacitor (9) in series with an equivalent series resistance (ESR) (10). Through use of a supercapacitor (4) having a low ESR with respect to the resistance (8), the power supply (1) facilitates continuity of supply to load (2). That is, during peak demand more of the load current will be supplied by supercapacitor (4) due to the lower ESR. Moreover, during times of lower load current demands the battery recharges the supercapacitor. This reduces the peak current needed to be provided by the battery and thereby improves battery longevity.

Abstract: A method for rapidly charging an electrically rechargeable battery or batteries string by a series of charging pulses, interspersed with battery discharge pulses effective to eliminate undesired concentration polarization by substantially thinning or dispelling electrical double layers and diffusion layers at electrodes contacted by an aqueous electrolyte solution. In contrast to related schemes which intermittently discharge a limited portion of battery charge to a load comprising components featuring significant resistance and/or inductance, in this case supercapacitors receive the reversedly pulsed depolarizing discharge.

Abstract: A battery charging circuit senses charging current using a sense circuit that includes a time-averaging amplifier circuit that nulls amplifier offset errors from the sensed current signal. With such offset correction, the sense circuit provides accurate current sensing over a wide dynamic range of charging current and thus may be used for low and high charging currents, and accurate detection of trickle and end-of-charge currents. The substantial elimination of amplifier-offset errors from charging current sensing permits use of a single sense resistor over a wide range of charging currents. Such accurate current detection supports zero-current regulation of the battery, which allows the battery to remain connected to the charging circuit even after reaching its end-of-charge condition. The battery charging circuit further may include digital switchover circuitry, which reduces charging control discontinuities by allowing both current and voltage feedback loops to drive the same regulation control circuit.

Abstract: A charger for charging a battery power source removably disposed on and connectable to the charger, the charger including a controller electrically connectable to a battery power source, at least one terminal connected to at least one of the controller and the battery power source, a power supply connectable to an outside power source, the power supply providing power to at least one of the controller and the battery power source, and a switch connected between the outside power supply and the power supply, the switch being activated when a battery pack is connected to the at least one terminal.

Abstract: Electromechanical power converters for delivering electric power to a primary load are described. In one aspect, an electromechanical power converter includes first and second electrodes, an electret, and a power extraction circuit. The first and second electrodes form a variable capacitor with a capacitance that varies over an operative capacitance range as a result of relative electrode movement in response to mechanical energy. The electret is disposed between the first and second electrodes. The power extraction circuit is coupled between the first and second electrodes and is operable to conduct charge between the electrodes through the primary load during a discharge phase and to set the electrodes to an inter-electrode reset voltage during a reset phase.

Abstract: A convenient source of charging power for portable communication devices is an integral power node of a computer data bus, such as a USB (universal serial bus) port. Unfortunately, USB ports have limited power capacity, making them generally incompatible with battery charge controllers (BCCs) which are designed to receive a steady, high capacity input. The invention provides a battery charging circuit which adjusts to the parameters of an external power supply such as a USB port by adding a regulating circuit to a standard BCC design. This regulating circuit maximizes the current drawn by the BCC, while keeping the voltage to the BCC above a preset minimum (the low voltage shut off level for the BCC). If the voltage to the BCC begins to drop, the regulating circuit reduces the current drawn, so the voltage rises and stays within the operating range of the BCC.

Abstract: It is an object of the invention to provide a charge/discharge control apparatus for a battery pack which is capable of performing SOC control and reducing the SOC variation through simple processes, and a control method thereof. In order to achieve the aforementioned object, A charge/discharge control apparatus for a battery pack having a plurality of cells according to one aspect of the invention includes a voltage detection portion that measures a voltage of each set of a predetermined number of cells provided in the battery pack, a computation portion that computes a state quantity of each set of the predetermined number of cells based on the voltage measured by the voltage detection portion, and a charge/discharge control portion that performs a charge/discharge control based on a least state quantity that is a least one of the state quantities of the sets of the predetermined number of cells.

Abstract: A portable, multi-purpose charging device to charge a primary battery, or one unit or multiple units of secondary battery having same or different voltage than that of the primary battery, and to execute emergency charging to the secondary battery by the primary battery.

Abstract: In an electronic device, a method for adjusting the power consumption of the electronic device includes the steps of presenting a power adapter that supplies power to the electronic device. The method continues with the electronic device sensing an attribute of power adapter, and modifying an aspect of the operation of the electronic device in response to the sensing step.

Abstract: A charging circuit for regulating current to a plurality of batteries is provided. The regulation is performed by a single control signal that is optionally scaled by resistor dividers. Switches coupled to the resistor dividers allow a microprocessor to actuate a particular resistor divider, thereby scaling the current flowing through a corresponding battery. As such, a single control signal, like a pulse width modulated signal, may be used to cause different currents to flow to different batteries, thereby leaving other output pins of the microprocessor open for other functions.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for data and command input and display in a battery charger and/or tester includes an alphanumeric keypad and alphanumeric display, as well as menu display and menu selection keys.

Abstract: A battery charging system includes two or more rechargeable batteries, a charging power supply charging the batteries with an external electrical power, a charging power sensing part sensing at least one of a voltage and a current of a charging power supplied from the charging power supply to the batteries, and a charging control part controlling the charging power supply to supply an idle power created during charging one battery, to another battery according to a sensed result of the charging power sensing part. With this configuration, a charging time of the two or more batteries is reduced, and the electrical power is efficiently used when the two or more batteries are charged.

Abstract: In case of the present invention, a microcomputer (271) controls a charging mode changeover switch (275) and connects the switch to a terminal (275d) to change the terminal (275d) to an initial charging mode power source (278). In this case, the microcomputer (271) requests the information on the charging capacity stored in a microcomputer (252) as charging information, the charging voltage measured by a voltage detector (258) and a standard charging capacity and obtains the information through a communication circuits (254) and (272). The microcomputer (271) obtains an actual charging capacity in accordance with a received measured charging voltage, compares the actual charging capacity with a stored charging capacity, and updates the actual charging capacity to zero when the comparison result is equal to or larger than a threshold value and the charging voltage is equal to or less than another threshold value. According to the present invention, a charging capacity is correctly corrected.

Abstract: An electric energy storage device has a power supply for operating a robot and is mounted on an upper body of the robot at a position such that the electric energy storage device has a center-of-gravity point present upwardly and rearwardly of the center-of-gravity point of the robot from which the electric energy storage device is removed and which is in an upstanding state. Shoulders of arms extending from the upper body of the robot have a center positioned forwardly of the center-of-gravity point. An imaging device for robot vision is supported on an upper end of the upper body of the robot by an attachment, which is positioned forwardly of the center-of-gravity point. It is thus possible to achieve attitude stability with ease when the robot walks and works.

Abstract: A high frequency charger includes a charge circuit for charging a depleted battery and a boost circuit for jump-starting a vehicle. Two separate high frequency transformers are provided for the charge and boost circuits. A selector switch selectively activates at least one of the charging circuit and the boost circuit.

Abstract: A battery power source device including a plurality of rechargeable batteries (1) having a laminated sheet as an outer case, and having extended positive and negative electrode leads of a metal foil is provided. A circuit board (3) and a plurality of rechargeable batteries are positioned in a pack case (2), a soldering land (21) is formed in the extending direction of the positive and negative electrode leads (11) and (12) of the rechargeable batteries, and a circuit pattern formed on the circuit board allows the circuit board and the rechargeable batteries to be connected without applying force in the bending or distortional direction to the positive and negative electrode leads of a foil.

Abstract: The apparatus of this invention has a resetting function for software- or hardware-resetting a battery when a CPU in the battery hangs up and becomes inoperable or inoperative to make it possible to recover the CPU of the battery from a hung state. An electrical apparatus having a body for consuming power and constituted so as to be able to connect with a battery for supplying power to the body by discharging after the battery has been charged. The apparatus has a trouble recognition mechanism for recognizing trouble in the battery and a resetting mechanism for resetting the battery in accordance with the recognition by the trouble recognition mechanism.