Abstract: Groups of magnets are respectively provided on the joint surfaces of a vehicle-side connector and a power-supply-side connector in such a way that the N and S poles of a plurality of permanent magnets are alternately arranged in a circle. When charging is carried out, the magnetic attraction generated by placing the heteropolar magnets in both groups of magnets opposite to one another is utilized for bringing the vehicle-side connector and the power-supply-side connector into engagement with each other. After the charging, the group of magnets of the power-supply-side connector are turned by one pitch to place the homopolar magnets in both groups of magnets opposite to one another, whereby both connectors are easily separated from each other because of the magnetic repulsive force generated therebetween.

Abstract: A light energy powered charging system for recharging portable units such as battery powered hand tools and cellular telephones. The charging system includes a solar collection assembly having at least one light energy receiving panel. The collection assembly is mountable to a carrying vehicle. A multi-position connector is coupled to the receiving panel for facilitating the positioning of the panel toward a light source such as the sun or vehicle headlights. A power receiver is electrically connected to the receiving panel for accepting electricity generated at the solar collection assembly. The power receiver has a docking station for releasably receiving a battery powered portable unit such as a powered hand tool or a cellular telephone requiring recharging. The invention further includes a carrying motor vehicle. The solar collection assembly is coupled to the carrying motor vehicle by the multi-position connector.

Abstract: The present invention can be implemented in various forms. One of them is disclosed in which a secondary core of a secondary-side charge port to be provided at an electric vehicle side and into which a primary magnetic coupler provided at the battery charger is to be inserted, has the general shape of L, for example, at no sacrifice of the charging output (capability).

Abstract: A battery pack for use in a portable computing system includes a transistor that is used both for inhibiting charging of the batteries within the system and for limiting the voltage across the batteries in the battery pack. Rather than having two separate devices to inhibit and regulate, this single transistor performs the functions of both, thus reducing component count in a battery pack.

Abstract: In a battery-driven portable computer, a battery pack is constituted by m battery sets connected in series each including n lithium-ion secondary battery cells connected in parallel. A voltage monitor for monitoring the voltage of the terminal electrode of each battery set and a charger for independently appropriately charging each battery set in accordance with a monitor result are arranged, thereby realizing battery driving by a lithium-ion secondary battery pack having a large capacity.

Abstract: A battery pack charger has an external frame provided with an insertion slot for inserting a battery pack. A charging terminal and a charging control circuit are housed in the external frame. A heat-sensitive switch is provided between the charging terminal and the charging control circuit. A lead wire is provided between the charging terminal and the heat-sensitive switch. The lead wire has a length appropriate for not losing the effect of heat transferred along the lead wire. The battery pack charger is capable of reliably charging a battery pack without the occurrence of overcharge, even if the battery pack is not provided with a heat-sensitive switch.

Abstract: A battery charger and method of charging a rechargeable battery which comprises charging the battery with an initial charging current and measuring and comparing the charging temperature to an initial temperature to identify a temperature factor which either identifies a need to lower the current or terminate the charging current. The temperature factor may be a temperature gradient .DELTA.T. The open circuit voltage may be monitored from the beginning or may begin when .DELTA.T is identified. V.sub.OCV is plotted with respect to time t elapsed to identify a point or points on the V.sub.OCV (t) curve, such as an inflection point in the dV.sub.OCV /dt data or a transition point in the d.sup.2 V.sub.OCV /dt.sup.2 which indicate the onset of overcharge. If the open circuit voltage V.sub.OCV of the battery is sampled from the beginning of charging the second order differential information should be ignored until a predetermined temperature gradient is realized.

Abstract: In a deflecting/scanning apparatus, a rotating polygon mirror is rotatably supported by an air bearing constituted by a stationary shaft and a rotating sleeve which are made of a ceramic material. An upper portion of an end face of the rotating sleeve is covered with a lid as a separate member. A vent hole formed in the lid is sealed with an adhesive to form an air damper chamber.

Abstract: When the cell of a battery, most notably a lithium ion battery, fails and human intervention is unavailable to correct the problem. a system is provided for optimizing the energy storage capacity of the battery. At least two cellular strings, each including a plurality of battery cells, are connected electrically in series. All cellular strings contain the same number of battery cells and are electrically connected in parallel to form a battery array powering a load. A sensor detects the condition of each battery cell and sends a signal of the detected condition to a controller for operating the battery array for powering the load. A switching arrangement is responsive to the sensor, upon failure of a battery cell in one cellular string, for disconnecting at least one other battery cell of the battery array such that, thereafter, the modified battery array continues to power the load with reduced but optimized capacity.

Abstract: A protection circuit device for protecting a secondary battery from an overcharge and/or an overdischarge has first and second terminals, across which a charger and a load are alternatively connectable. A first switch and/or a second switch may be provided in series with the secondary battery between the first and second terminals. In a charging operation mode, the second switch is kept conductive. A charging operation is performed with the first switch made conductive. When the battery is overcharged for some reasons, the first switch is turned off. Upon connection of a load across the first and second terminals, the first switch is restored to a conductive state for a discharging operation which releases the battery from an overdischarge state. In a discharging operation mode, the first switch is kept conductive. A discharge operation is performed with the second switch made conductive.

Abstract: A battery-cell protection system includes a processor, a wake-up circuit, and a shunt or isolation switch. The processor responds to voltages from cells in a battery by detecting any of the voltages being less than or equal to a predetermined threshold voltage. The processor samples cell voltages at a fast sampling rate and compares the sampled voltages to a predetermined threshold value. The processor further identifies any cell having an associated voltage that is less than or equal to the predetermined threshold voltage. The wake-up circuit responds to a current load from the battery by activating the processor. The shunt switch responds to the identification of the cell by selectively electrically shunting the identified cell to allow the other cells of the battery to continue to supply power to a connected load. The monitoring and identification of cells are performed in parallel to rapidly monitor all of the cells at once.

Abstract: In an exemplary embodiment, a battery conditioning system monitors battery conditioning and includes a memory for storing data based thereon; for example, data may be stored representative of available battery capacity as measured during a deep discharge cycle. With a microprocessor monitoring battery operation of a portable unit, a measure of remaining battery capacity can be calculated and displayed. Where the microprocessor and battery conditioning system memory are permanently secured to the battery so as to receive operating power therefrom during storage and handling, the performance of a given battery in actual use can be accurately judged since the battery system can itself maintain a count of accumulated hours of use and other relevant parameters. In the case of a non-portable conditioning system, two-way communication may be established with a memory associated with the portable unit so that the portable unit can transmit to the conditioning system information concerning battery parameters (e.g.

Abstract: A power supply device and system for providing power to a portable electronic device. A detachable device includes a rechargeable DC power source, a DC-to-AC inverter, and a primary transformer winding around a first core element. The portable electronic device includes multiple secondary transformer windings around a second core element. The detachable device cooperates with the portable electronic device so as to form a complete power supply circuit for providing AC and/or DC operating voltages to the portable electronic device.

Abstract: A battery charging circuit, particularly useful in a laptop computer system, includes a voltage input terminal coupled to a dc voltage. A first switch couples the voltage input terminal to an output coupled to the battery through a current sense resistor. A first current sink which is on when the charger circuit is on draws current from the input side of the current sense resistor through a first resistor to develop a first voltage. This voltage and a voltage coupled through a second resistor from the battery side of the sense resistor are inputs to a comparator, the output of which controls the first switch. A second current sink, when on, draws current through the second resistor causing the first switch to be held off, turning the charging circuit off. An ON/OFF terminal, to which a variable duty cycle square wave is supplied, controls the turning on and off of the first and second current sinks, with the length of the duty cycle controlling the average current supplied to the battery.

Abstract: A printing apparatus (10) employs electrostatic gripper plates (12, 14, and 16) to stepwise advance printing substrates (18) in a reciprocating shuttle fashion past a print head (22) that contains microchannels (33) that are filled with ink by capillary action awaiting, in concave shape at each microchannel orifice, print activation which is accomplished by imposing electrical fields at each electronically addressable orifice to cause the ink to protrude in a convex shape.

Abstract: A battery pack including a cover overlying a plurality of individual batteries and a plurality of inter-battery connectors for electrically coupling the several batteries together. The inter-battery connectors are secured to the cover such that upon removal of the cover all of the connectors are removed from the batteries en masse.

Abstract: In a cell balance circuit including a cell group in which two or more rechargeable cells are connected in series, a voltage converting circuit converts the voltages of the respective cells in the cell group into GND voltage standards on the basis of a ground voltage and produces two or more converted voltages. An output circuit determines a lowest voltage of the two or more converted voltages and produces the lowest voltage. Discharge circuits are provided for the respective cells for forming discharge loops to discharge the corresponding cells. Discharge control circuits are provided for the respective discharge circuits. Each discharge control circuit determines a difference between the converted voltage of the corresponding cell and the lowest voltage to control the discharge circuit to form the discharge loop when the difference exceeds a predetermined value.

Abstract: To obtain an electric vehicle power supply 10 having a high output power density and regenerative power density, and which is compact and lightweight wherein a first battery 12 whose regenerative power density increases with decrease of the SOC and a second battery 14 whose output power density increases with increase of the SOC are used as an electrical storage device, and control is performed so that the SOC of the first battery 12 is maintained low while the SOC of the second battery 14 is maintained high. The regenerative power density of the first battery 12 is therefore high, the regeneration current from the motor 32 is mainly stored by the first battery 12, and the force used to drive the motor 32 is mainly output by the second battery 14 which has a high output power density.

Abstract: A bidirectional current control circuit suitable for use in controlling the charging and discharging of rechargeable battery cells includes two serially connected metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) with respective body diodes, a resistor which is connected in series with the MOSFETs and develops a voltage based upon the current through such MOSFETs, and a control circuit. The control circuit monitors the voltage across the resistor and selectively switches the MOSFETs on or off individually. As long as the current through the MOSFETs is less than a maximum positive current and more than a minimum negative current, both MOSFETs are maintained in their respective on states. When the negative current becomes less than a minimum negative current, the first MOSFET is turned off while the second MOSFET is turned on, and when the positive current becomes greater than a maximum positive current, the second MOSFET is turned off while the first MOSFET is turned on.

Abstract: In a case where an AC power is supplied from an AC power source to an AC circuit unit, the AC circuit unit and an DC circuit are connected to each other, a DC power is supplied from the AC circuit unit to the DC circuit unit, the DC power is converted to a required working voltage, and on the other hand, in a case where a DC power is supplied from a DC power source to the DC circuit unit, the DC power is converted to a required working voltage, and the DC power obtained as described above is used as a charging power for charging the secondary battery.