Abstract: The disclosed embodiments relate to power systems and methods. One such power system includes an adapter that produces a power output. A converter stage receives the power output and in turn provides a regulated output. The regulated output is delivered to a battery and to a DC—DC component.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining the cold cranking ampere (CCA) value of a battery under test in which an algorithm of battery CCA as a function of battery internal resistance (IR) is provided, the IR of the battery under test is measured, and the measured IR determines the CCA value of the battery under test from the algorithm. The method and apparatus are used either in a vehicle in which the battery is installed or on a stand alone basis.

Abstract: A protection method for preventing battery cells from over-discharging and being overcharged, a control circuit, and a battery unit are provided. In the protection method, when a set signal “1” is supplied to a set terminal, a flip-flop outputs “1”. The gate of a discharge control FET then becomes “1”, so that the discharge control FET is OFF regardless of a discharge control signal supplied from a voltage monitor circuit. When a reset signal “1” is supplied to a reset terminal, the flip-flop outputs “0”. The discharge control FET is then switched on and off in accordance with the output of a discharge control circuit of the voltage monitor circuit. In this manner, battery cells connected to an electronic device do not over-discharge, even when they are left unused for a long period of time. Thus, the battery unit can be prevented from deteriorating and shortening the life thereof.

Abstract: An over-current protection circuit is used to prevent damage to a television receiver due to excessive beam current. The television receiver includes a high voltage generating circuit for supplying a beam current to a picture tube. The over-current protection circuit a measurement circuit for directly detecting the beam current, a comparison circuit for comparing the detected beam current with a predefined threshold level, and an output circuit coupled to a control input of the high voltage generating circuit, for generating a control signal for turning off the high voltage generating circuit.

Abstract: A battery protection circuit is provided that includes a safety circuit and a charge monitoring circuit. The safety circuit monitors the voltage and current of at least one rechargeable cell within the battery pack, and disconnects the cell(s) from the external terminals of the battery pack when either the voltage becomes too high or low, or when excessive current is being drawn from the battery pack. The charge monitoring circuit can include any of a number of detectors or monitoring circuits, including those that monitor temperature, pressure, voltage, energy, current or power. In one embodiment, the charge monitoring circuit includes a power meter and a pulsed current detector. The charge monitoring circuit actuates when either the power or pulsed current exceeds a predetermined power or current threshold, respectively. When the charge monitoring circuit actuates, an overcurrent condition is simulated in the safety circuit.

Abstract: A selector circuit configured to select among a DC power source and a plurality of batteries for an electronic device. The selector circuit is responsive to an output signal from an associated power management unit. The selector circuit is further configured to permit parallel operation of two or more of the batteries. The selector circuit may further act to independently verify power conditions and override instructions from the PMU in certain instances to enhance power supply safety and battery life such as by preventing inter battery current flow from a higher potential battery to a lower potential battery coupled in parallel. A power supply block including the selector circuit and an electronic device including the power supply block is also provided. The selector circuit may be integrated with a charging circuit on one integrated circuit.

Abstract: A connector that may indicate an edition of a connecting interface of a computer, includes a host controller, and an indicator electrically connected to the host controller. The host controller includes a judging device used to judge a transmitting velocity between the host of the computer and the peripheral device. Thus, the indicator may be adapted to indicate the edition of the connecting interface according to the transmitting velocity between the host of the computer and the peripheral device.

Abstract: A system for measuring available energy in a metal fuel cell is provided. The system comprises first componentry for measuring an electrical property of a mixture formed from one or more reaction products dissolved in a reaction medium. The electrical property may be such as to bear a known relationship with the concentration of the one or more reaction products. Using this known relationship, second componentry estimates the concentration of the one or more reaction products, and, responsive thereto, determines the available energy in the fuel cell.

Abstract: In a battery state monitoring circuit and a battery device using the same, even if a charge inhibiting signal is inputted to a microcomputer control terminal, a lock mode is prevented from occurring in which both a charge control transistor and a discharge control transistor are turned OFF and a battery voltage can not be supplied to a load. A circuit is structured such that even if the charge inhibiting signal is inputted to the microcomputer control terminal, in the case where the overcurrent voltage detection terminal comes to have the overcurrent detection voltage, the charge inhibiting signal of the microcomputer control terminal is cancelled.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to maintain high vehicle driving performance and system efficiency by preventing reductions in the traction characteristic and the maximum driving speed of a vehicle. The invention relates to an electrical system for an electric automotive vehicle for driving the vehicle by supplying an electric power of a direct-current power supply to an electric motor for driving wheels via a semiconductor power converter for driving the wheels such as an inverter and speed-variably driving this electric motor or an electrical system for an electric automotive vehicle using an engine and a direct-current power supply as driving sources. A booster chopper 200 is connected between a battery device 1 or 4 as the direct-current power supply and an inverter 2 or a semiconductor power converter 100, and is controlled so that a direct-current input voltage of the inverter 2 or the like becomes substantially constant.

Abstract: A method is disclosed of controlling the supply of electrical power to an electrically propelled vehicle designed to operate in an external power supply mode or in an autonomous power supply mode. The vehicle includes an uninterrupted power supply bus connected both to an autonomous power supply system on board the vehicle and to an external power supply line which can be connected to an external power supply infrastructure by means of a connection member. Connection of the connection member to the external power supply infrastructure is detected by measuring the current flowing in the external power supply line. The presence of a non-zero current in the line indicates the presence of an external power supply infrastructure connected to the connection member.

Abstract: A method for determining the amount of charge which can still be drawn from an energy storage battery includes measuring current values and voltage values at at least two times in a voltage response of the energy storage battery to at least one current pulse, with one voltage/current value pair being obtained for each of the at least two times. The method also includes calculating a resistance difference characteristic variable utilizing the measured voltage/current value pairs. The method also includes determining of the amount of charge which can still be drawn from the energy storage battery utilizing the resistance difference characteristic variable. An energy storage battery having measurement means and processor-controlled evaluation means may be provided for carrying out the method.

Abstract: A method for controlling the charging and discharging phases of a backup capacitor for a data storage medium has the step where the backup capacitor is first discharged to a defined voltage level before it is charged. The capacitor is discharged using a constant current. This ensures that the charging current for the backup capacitor cannot be used to identify what the charge-state of the capacitor was before discharging. Therefore, it is no longer possible to infer the currents that flowed during security-related arithmetic operations in a data processing unit. In one advantageous circuit configuration, a constant current source is formed by a current-mirror circuit, and a comparator is used to compare the voltage on the backup capacitor with a bandgap reference.

Abstract: A load, such as a cordless telephone handset, is powered by a rechargeable battery. The battery is recharged, when the load is not in use, by a battery charger which is controlled by a usage timer which totals the amount of time that the load has drawn power from the battery since the last recharging cycle. The usage timer causes operation of the battery charger to be inhibited until after a predetermined cumulative use.

Abstract: A battery charger for charging a battery from a power source is provided. The battery charger includes a current sense circuit in series with the power source and the battery. A linear preregulator includes a first controlled switch coupled to the power source to generate a regulated output. The first controlled switch is responsive to a preregulator control signal, varying the first controlled switch impedance so that the regulated output is generated. A control circuit is powered by the preregulator regulated output. The control circuit generates the preregulator control signal and a charger control signal. A second controlled switch is coupled between the regulated output and the battery. The impedance of the second controlled switch is varied in response to the charger control signal so that a regulated flow of charge is supplied to the battery.

Abstract: This invention includes a method for charging lithium-based batteries. Battery type is identified by a charger by way of a third terminal. For nickel-based cells, the third terminal is coupled to a thermistor for sensing temperature. For lithium-based cells, the third terminal is coupled to the rechargeable cell disposed within the battery pack. If a nickel cell is identified, the cell is charged by conventional means. If a lithium cell is identified, the charger applies a full current until any serial elements disposed between the battery pack terminals and the cell reach a high impedance state. The charger then reduces the charging current to a low level for a predetermined time. After this time has elapsed, the charger then reapplies a high current. If the voltage across the serial elements remains low, charging continues. However, if the voltage across the serial elements exceeds a predetermined threshold, the charger then decrements the current by a predetermined amount.

Abstract: Central control unit for controlling the charging process of a battery that comprises: a charger circuit coupled to the battery; a circuit for conditionally prohibiting the charging process when predetermined conditions are met, the conditions comprise at least the condition of TB>Tmax, where TB designates the actual temperature of the battery and Tmax designates the highest permissible battery temperature, and the further condition when the change of one of the battery current and voltage dI and dU decreases in a predetermined time period below a predetermined threshold level; and a restart circuit for restarting the conditionally prohibited charging, comprising a plurality of inputs through which respective restart signals can be received, wherein a precondition of any restart is that the temperature of the battery TB being lower than an acceptable predetermined temperature Tok.

Abstract: Current (ip) flowing in the primary of a transformer in a full wave bridge converter is monitored and compared against thresholds (+imax, +imin, ?imax, ?imin). When the input voltage is adequate, the full wave bridge converter is operated in a normal manner. When the input voltage is insufficient to cause the current ip ramp reach the first threshold before a first predetermined timeout period (t1), the pulse is truncated and a next portion of the cycle is initiated and, providing that the current at the end of the first timeout period exceeds a second, lower threshold current (+imin), continuing to operate the full wave bridge converter in a normal manner.

Abstract: Method for treatment, in the form of regeneration, of accumulators having at least one cell, preferably lead batteries, in which a varying direct voltage from a charging unit is applied in intermittent current supply periods, which are interrupted by current free pauses, the direct voltage being sufficient to generate gas in the accumulator. During the treatment process, process data is registered, for at least one cell in the accumulator, which process data is used in order to control the treatment process.

Abstract: A two-stage charging device including a power supply device and a battery module is provided. The battery module is equipped with a linear charging device, a controller and a battery. During the charging process, the controller determines the voltage difference between the main supply voltage provided by the power supply device and the battery voltage, and then outputs an adjusting signal to the power supply device according to the obtained voltage difference. Then the power supply device adjusts the supply voltage according to the adjusting signal to maintain the voltage difference between the supply voltage and the battery voltage approximately at a pre-set voltage level. The battery voltage will rise along with the passing of the charging time. If the voltage difference between the main supply voltage and the battery voltage is smaller than a lower voltage level, the controller will increase the voltage level of the adjusting signal so as to increase the power supplied by the power supply device.