Patents Examined by Tarikh Rankine
  • Patent number: 9608461
    Abstract: A battery pack cooling and charging device includes a charging module for a battery pack, a cooling fan, a power source module and a cooling fan control module. The cooling fan control module is capable of controlling the cooling fan for cooling and is connected with the cooling fan. During the charging operation, a rotational speed of the cooling fan for cooling the battery pack and a charging module is changed by detecting parameters such as fan operation time, a battery pack internal resistance, a charging module temperature, and a battery pack voltage. The rotational speed of the cooling fan is reasonably adjusted, thus noise of the cooling fan is reduced and energy consumption is reduced according to different phases of the charging process by regarding one parameter or combinations of parameters as conditions for changing the rotational speed of the fan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Chevron (HK) Limited
    Inventors: Ming Chen, Junya Duan, Xiaohong Lin
  • Patent number: 9595837
    Abstract: A system of batteries of accumulators includes electrochemical accumulators in series, a power connection connecting either a load or recharging power supply across the accumulators, a control device connected to the accumulators by the power connection, measuring circuits, each of which is attached to a respective accumulator and configured to measure voltage across its terminals, and communication circuits, each of which is attached to an accumulator and configured to induce a voltage drop across its terminals when the measured voltage crosses a threshold. The control device identifies this drop in voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: Renault S.A.S.
    Inventors: Marc Beranger, Marco Ranieri
  • Patent number: 9530558
    Abstract: An energy receiver includes: a power receiver coil configured to wirelessly receive power transmitted from a power transmitter; a detection section configured to detect a foreign object; and a power storage section configured to supply power to the detection section during detection of the foreign object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroaki Nakano, Shinichi Fukuda, Yuji Murayama, Kenichi Fujimaki, Tomomichi Murakami
  • Patent number: 9488696
    Abstract: A voltage detection apparatus comprises discharge circuits constituted by switch elements and resistors connected in series, and respectively connected in parallel to each of a plurality of battery cells constituting a storage battery, filter circuits provided for the respective battery cells and removing noise contained in voltage inputted by the battery cells, and voltage detection units (D) and (M) which detect voltage of the respective battery cells in which noise is removed by the filter circuits. The voltage detection units correct detection results, based on time from when the switch elements of the discharge circuits change into an OFF state to timing for detecting voltage of the battery cells. With this voltage detection apparatus, it is possible to correct the detection error of the voltage of the battery cell due to the influence of the filter circuit, thus improving the detection accuracy of the voltage of the battery cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2016
    Assignee: KEIHIN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Eishin Matsumoto, Seiji Kamata, Shinichi Sato
  • Patent number: 9484758
    Abstract: The disclosed embodiments provide a synchronous switching converter that converts a DC input voltage into a DC output voltage. This synchronous switching converter includes a high-side switching MOSFET coupled between an input node and a first node. The converter also includes a low-side switching MOSFET coupled between the first node and a ground node and is in series with the high-side switching MOSFET. This converter additionally includes a bootstrap capacitor coupled to the high-side switching MOSFET to provide turn-on voltage for the high-side switching MOSFET. Furthermore, the converter includes a main refresh circuit coupled to the bootstrap capacitor and is configured to refresh the bootstrap capacitor during a first operating mode of the synchronous switching converter. Moreover, the converter includes an auxiliary refresh circuit coupled to the main refresh circuit and the bootstrap capacitor and is configured to refresh the bootstrap capacitor during a second operating mode of the converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Bin Chen, Mao Ye, Yongxuan Hu
  • Patent number: 9466992
    Abstract: A system and method for providing energy management and maintenance of a high energy battery pack that does not require installation of the battery pack into an operational EV. A battery service unit has multiple access mechanisms to charge or discharge a high energy battery pack through a primary or secondary high voltage port of the pack, irrespective of whether the battery pack is installed into an operating environment by adding a capability of providing a signature duplicating installation of the pack in the operating environment when necessary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: TESLA MOTORS, INC.
    Inventors: Joseph Michael Darragh, Brian Stuart Boggs
  • Patent number: 9373970
    Abstract: A system for charging at least one energy reservoir cell in a controllable energy reservoir serving to control/supply electrical energy to an n-phase electrical machine (n?2). The controllable energy reservoir has n parallel energy supply branches each having at least two series connected energy reservoir modules, each encompassing at least one electrical energy reservoir cell having an associated controllable coupling unit, are connected to a reference bus, and are connected to a respective phase of the machine. As a function of control signals, the coupling units interrupt the respective energy supply branch or bypass the associated reservoir cells or switch the associated reservoir cells into the respective energy supply branch. To charge at least one cell, at least two phases of the machine are connectable via at least one respective free-wheeling diode to a negative pole of a charging device. The reference bus is connectable to the negative pole of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Peter Feuerstack, Erik Weissenborn, Martin Kessler
  • Patent number: 9352663
    Abstract: Provided is an electric power supply device that supplies electric energy from the outside of a vehicle (10) to the vehicle (10). A PLC unit (202) acquires from the vehicle (10) the unique information (vehicle unique information) of the vehicle (10) stored in the vehicle (10). A server communication unit (203) acquires, from a server (30) for comparing the vehicle unique information with stolen vehicle information, the compared result. When the vehicle unique information does not match the stolen vehicle information, a control unit (206) allows the electric energy to be supplied from a power output unit (204) to the vehicle (10). In contrast, when the vehicle unique information matches the stolen vehicle information, the control unit (206) allows the electric energy stored in a battery (106) mounted on the vehicle (10) to be discharged from the battery (106) and dissipated by a power consuming unit (207).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tomonori Nonaka
  • Patent number: 9350191
    Abstract: A secondary-battery chargeable-limit detecting method that detects a charge rate of a chargeable limit and a device of the same are provided. In the chargeable-limit detecting method of the present embodiment, if it is determined that: a temperature measurement value Tm is higher than a temperature threshold Tt in step S3, a voltage measurement value Vm is higher than a voltage threshold Vt in step S4, a voltage excess rate RV is larger than a voltage excess rate threshold Rt in step S11, and an average current Ia is within a predetermined current threshold range in step S12; condition satisfied duration tc in which the conditions of the chargeable limit are satisfied is calculated in step S13. Then, if it is determined that the condition satisfied duration tc is longer than predetermined duration threshold tt in step S15, SOC of the chargeable limit is set in step S16.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignees: FURUKAWA ELECTRIC CO., LTD., FURUKAWA AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS INC.
    Inventor: Sinichi Nomoto
  • Patent number: 9344031
    Abstract: A concentrator-driven, photovoltaic power generator system and method for capturing and transmitting electromagnetic radiation utilizing a reflector having a concave reflecting surface for concentrating electromagnetic radiation to a focal point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Inventor: Jeffrey A. Davoren
  • Patent number: 9246553
    Abstract: A power reception device and a power transmission device which are capable of suppressing an adverse effect of an electric field. A power reception device includes a capacitive coupling electrode comprising a high voltage side conductor and a low voltage side conductor extending around the high voltage side conductor. The high voltage side conductor is disposed on a surface of a housing. The low voltage side conductor is disposed inside a circuit board. A plurality of module parts are mounted on a surface of the circuit board which is located on an opposite side away from the high voltage side conductor with respect to the low voltage side conductor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignee: MURATO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Keiichi Ichikawa, Henri Bondar
  • Patent number: 9236756
    Abstract: An apparatus for wireless charging using radio frequency (RF) energy includes a first charger portion having first and second charging areas. The first and second charging areas are located in a common plane, each having at least one coil for wirelessly charging a charge-receiving device placed in proximity thereto. The coils include respective windings, which are wound in opposing directions, each coil being connected in series, each coil configured to charge at least one charge-receiving device. A second charger portion has a third charging area having at least one coil including a winding for wirelessly charging a charge-receiving device placed in proximity to the third charging area, the coil in the third charging area being connected in series with the coils in the first and second charging areas, the third charging area located in a plane that is orthogonal to the plane of the first and second charging areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Jatupum Jenwatanavet, Ernest T. Ozaki, Zhen Ning Low