Patents Examined by Sailesh Thapa
  • Patent number: 10931125
    Abstract: A detection circuit and a detection method for starting charging are provided. The detection circuit comprises a cell connector, a first controller, a second controller and a switch circuit. The first controller sends an anode contact signal, a cathode contact signal and an electric quantity signal received from the cell connector to the second controller; the second controller sends a start instruction to the first controller if a charging request signal is received, the anode of the cell is well contacted, the cathode of the cell is well contacted, and a voltage of the cell does not exceed a voltage threshold; the first controller sends a connection instruction to the switch circuit to control connection of a charging terminal and a cell terminal of the switch circuit, such that a charging adapter charges the cell through the switch circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: GUANGDONG OPPO MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP., LTD.
    Inventor: Kewei Wu
  • Patent number: 10926645
    Abstract: A temperature control device (1) for a battery system (100) having a circulation system (10) with a temperature control unit (20) for controlling the temperature of at least one battery (110) of the battery system (100), and at least one power semiconductor (30) for disconnecting and establishing a flow of electrical current between the at least one battery (110) and a consumer (200) of the at least one battery (110), wherein the at least one power semiconductor (30) is assigned to the temperature control unit (20) in such a way that the temperature control unit (20) can be heated by waste heat of the at least one power semiconductor (30) which is produced during the disconnection and/or establishment of the flow of electrical current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Christian Rilling, Gergely Galamb
  • Patent number: 10926652
    Abstract: A method for the automatic unlocking of a charging arrangement, in which an electrically drivable motor vehicle is connected to a charging station. In this case, an automatic unlocking of a mechanical connection between the charging station and the motor vehicle occurs as soon as a predetermined state of charge has been reached for a battery of the motor vehicle. Beyond this, an unlocking signal is generated by the motor vehicle as soon as the mechanical connection has been unlocked. Subsequently, the generated unlocking signal is transmitted to the charging station, which, in consequence thereof, signals that the charging station is available.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: AUDI AG
    Inventor: Tobias Wittl
  • Patent number: 10931138
    Abstract: A sheath for convenient charging having a left side, a right side and a top side, a first closed end, a second open end and a surrounding bottom portion surrounding at least a portion of the sides and ends of the sheath. At least a portion of the sheath extends above an outer surface of a body, wherein the body has an inner surface, an outer surface and an opening between the inner surface and the outer surface. The sheath is at the opening and the sheath receives a female end of a USB cable having four sides, an operative end, a cord end and a cord.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Inventor: Li Zhijian
  • Patent number: 10919411
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method and an apparatus for charging a low voltage battery of a mild hybrid electric vehicle. The method of charging a low voltage battery may includes: detecting data for charging a low voltage battery; determining whether a predetermined travelling condition is satisfied based on the data; comparing a current state of charge (SOC) of a high voltage battery with a first reference SOC when the predetermined travelling condition is satisfied; comparing a current SOC of the low voltage battery with a second reference SOC when the current SOC of the high voltage battery is equal to or greater than the first reference SOC; determining a target SOC based on the current SOC of the low voltage battery; and determining a charging speed and a charging amount of the low voltage battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA MOTORS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hwa Yong Jang
  • Patent number: 10913370
    Abstract: A power supply system includes a power distribution branch, a charging branch, and a control unit. The power distribution branch receives a first current. The charging branch includes a charging unit, and the charging branch receives a second current to charge an electric vehicle through the charging unit. The control unit is connected to the charging unit, and receives a current signal of the first current consumed by the power distribution branch. The control unit calculates an adjustment value of the second current according to a variation value of the first current when the first current is varied. A sum of the first current and the second current is less than or equal to an upper-limit value of a total household current. The control unit produces a charging command according to the adjustment value of the second current and provides the charging command to the charging unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: DELTA ELECTRONICS, INC.
    Inventors: Tadashi Kubota, Toru Kido, Jung-Yun Bair, Tsung-Yuan Wu, Mao-Tso Cheng
  • Patent number: 10910870
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a controller changes, when a charging state transitions from a first state of charging a first battery by using a power from an external power supply to a second state of charging the first battery by using a power from the second battery and if rated power of the external power supply and the rated discharge power of the second battery are different from each other, an upper limit of an input current to a charging circuit to a value corresponding to the rated discharge power of the second battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: Toshiba Client Solutions Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yutaka Horie
  • Patent number: 10879720
    Abstract: Balancing circuits for an ultracapacitor module are provided. In some implementations, the balancing circuit can include a regulator having an input. The regulator can be configured to compare an input voltage associated with the ultracapacitor received at the input to a reference voltage and to provide an output via an output node. The balancing circuit can further include a switching circuit coupled to the regulator. The switching circuit can be configured to discharge the ultracapacitor based at least in part on the output of the regulator. The switching circuit can include at least one semiconductor switching element operated in a hard switching manner during operation of the switching element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: AVX Corporation
    Inventor: Joseph M. Hock
  • Patent number: 10879725
    Abstract: Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an electronic device including: a first battery for supplying power; an attachable/detachable power supply device including a second battery for supplying power and a DC power connector; and a processor connected to the first battery, and connected to the second battery and the DC power connector when connecting to the power supply device, wherein the power supply device includes at least two MOSFETs for connecting the second battery and an element, for detection of the power supply device, provided to the electronic device when connecting the power supply device. In addition, other examples, which can be identified through the specification, are possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd
    Inventor: Sung Min Hong
  • Patent number: 10847835
    Abstract: A battery management system monitors and controls the state of charge of a plurality of battery cells with a single data transceiver line. A sense board coupled to each cell monitors the battery cell voltage and temperature and reports the cell voltage in series, according to the location in series. A data request signal is sent by the control device of the battery management system through the single data transceiver line to initiate battery cell data transmission. The first battery cell in the series sends the first battery data upon receiving the data request signal and each subsequent battery cell in the series sends their respective battery data after a predetermined delay time set by two quaternary bits formed by a pair of voltage dividers. The state of charge may be displayed in real time on a graphical or numerical display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Inventor: William Jeffrey Schlanger
  • Patent number: 10840567
    Abstract: A storage battery cooling control device includes a system power calculator (18) configured to calculate power of an external power source as power information, and a charge/discharge control unit (20) configured to perform charge/discharge control of a storage battery based on the power information, and to perform power control of a cooling device by distributing power to the cooling device within a cooling power threshold, which is determined so that a heat generation increment of the storage battery is equal to or less than a heat exhaust increment of the cooling device calculated from a cooling air flow rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahito Ida, Keisuke Ogasawara
  • Patent number: 10840729
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for operating an electrical system (1) having a high-voltage section (2) and a low-voltage section (3) which are electrically connected to one another by means of a DC-DC converter (4), wherein the low-voltage section (3) has at least one rechargeable energy store (8) and at least one electrical consumer (9), wherein the DC-DC converter (4) is operated on the basis of an electrical load (P) acting on the low-voltage section (3). In order to determine the load (P), provision is made for all currents flowing through the DC-DC converter (4) to be recorded and added to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Frank Haefele, Gholamabas Esteghlal, Markus Kretschmer
  • Patent number: 10840748
    Abstract: In an inductively coupled power transmitter a force detector that detects the presence of a potential device by monitoring forces applied to a surface of the power transmitter and activates the inductively coupled power transmitter upon detection of a potential device. An inductively coupled power transmitter having a proximity detector that detects the presence and location of a potential device by monitoring the proximity of devices to a surface of the power transmitter and activates the inductively coupled power transmitter upon detection of a potential device. The transmitter preferably has one or more detection coils each having an area much greater than that of the transmitter coils for detecting the presence of a potential device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Kunal Bhargava, Fady Mishriki, Saining Ren, Daniel Robertson, Nigel James Gray, Rex Huang
  • Patent number: 10833513
    Abstract: Methods and systems for monitoring individual cell voltages of an energy storage system. The measured cell voltages can be reported back to a central controller. Based on parameters such as the overall health of the system, this controller can be adapted to decide which cells to balance, in which direction and optionally for how long. Balancing can be performed by cell monitoring and balancing units which can be implemented in hardware, i.e. as one or more circuits. The decision information from the controller can be reported to the cell monitoring and balancing units as a command. The cell monitoring and balancing means can execute the command, for example irrespective of the voltage or SoC of the cell connected to it.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: VITO NV
    Inventor: Peter Coenen
  • Patent number: 10828770
    Abstract: A vehicle charging station includes a track configured to extend across a plurality of vehicle parking spaces. The charging station further includes a movable charging apparatus supported by the track and translatable along the track between the plurality of vehicle parking spaces. The charging station further includes a first contact wire extending approximately parallel to the track. The charging station further includes a first conductor pole configured to couple the movable charging apparatus to the first contact wire at a plurality of locations along a width of the first contact wire. The first conductor pole is configured to move with the movable charging apparatus. In such a manner, a one-to-many charging station can be accomplished.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Xiang Zhao, Ningjian Huang, Lei Zhang, Changfu Ye
  • Patent number: 10804743
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes techniques for estimating or measuring changes in peak magnetic flux levels based on the influence of a receive coil to the overall flux density over a transmit coil. The estimated or measured changes in peak magnetic flux levels are used to adjust currents in the coils to reduce the flux density while maintaining sufficient power transfer. In some aspects, an apparatus for controlling power transfer is provided. The apparatus includes a controller configured to receive or determine a measured or estimated magnetic flux level on or outside a housing configured to house a transmit coil. The controller is further configured to determine an electrical current level for at least one or both of the transmit coil or a receive coil that reduces a peak magnetic flux density level in proximity to the transmit coil based on the measured or estimated magnetic flux level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: WiTricity Corporation
    Inventors: Nicholas Athol Keeling, Grzegorz Ombach, Edward Van Boheemen
  • Patent number: 10797534
    Abstract: A wireless power transmission system has a wireless power receiving device that is located on a charging surface of a wireless power transmitting device. The wireless power receiving device has a wireless power receiving coil and the wireless power transmitting device has a wireless power transmitting coil array. Signal measurement circuitry coupled to the coil array may make measurements while the control circuitry uses the inverter circuitry to apply excitation signals to each of the coils. Foreign objects on the coil array such as metallic objects without wireless power receiving coils can be detected using foreign object detection. When multiple wireless power receiving devices are present on the wireless power transmitting device, steps may be taken to isolate measurements from the coils associated with each wireless power receiving device. Foreign object detection may then be performed on these modified measurements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Behrooz Shahsavari, Weiyu Huang, Sneha Kadetotad, Baboo V. Gowreesunker, Jacob Mattingley
  • Patent number: 10759508
    Abstract: A charging system for an autonomous underwater vehicle includes: a sea floating body; a charging station suspended in water from the body through a string-shaped body and located downstream of the sea floating body by receiving a water flow, the station including a noncontact electricity supplying portion located away from the string-shaped body; and an autonomous underwater vehicle coupled to the station that is rotatable about the string-shaped body, the vehicle including a noncontact electricity receiving portion configured to receive electricity supplied from the supplying portion, wherein: the station takes by the water flow such a posture that the noncontact electricity supplying portion is located downstream of the string-shaped body in a water flow direction; and when the vehicle is coupled to the station, the vehicle takes by the water flow such a posture that the receiving portion is located downstream of the string-shaped body in the water flow direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi Sakaue, Minehiko Mukaida, Noriyuki Okaya, Takashi Okada, Fumitaka Tachinami
  • Patent number: 10763680
    Abstract: A battery pack includes a battery, a suspension unit that establishes or breaks an electrical connection between the battery and an external device, and a control unit that controls the suspension unit to break the electrical connection between the battery and the external device when a usage state of the battery pack does not satisfy a usage condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shoichi Toya, Yutaka Iwahori
  • Patent number: 10737577
    Abstract: A method according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, controlling charging of a battery pack of an electrified vehicle over a plurality of charging locations of a drive route, the controlling step including scheduling charging based at least on a cost to charge at each of the plurality of charging locations and an amount of charging time available at each of the plurality of charging locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Jimmy Kapadia, Kenneth James Miller