Patents Examined by Yalkew Fantu
  • Patent number: 8878492
    Abstract: The power source apparatus is provided with a plurality of modules (10), and a main controller (2) connected with communication interface units (16) in each module via a communication line CB. Each module is provided with a battery block (12) having a plurality of battery cells (11) stacked together and connected in series and/or parallel, a battery state detection section (14) to detect the state of the battery cells, communication interface units for data communication with other modules and the main controller, and a memory section (18) that can store data received through the communication interface units. The plurality of modules are connected in series and/or parallel with an output line OL.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kimihiko Furukawa, Junya Yano, Kuniho Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8878488
    Abstract: The present invention has an objective to provide a charge-and-discharge connector which makes it possible to transfer of electric power mutually between vehicles and the vehicles exterior under control by a charge-and-discharge management system at normal times, and makes it possible to supply electric power from vehicles to the vehicles exterior without depending on the charge-and-discharge management system in an emergency. It is possible to make vehicles perform an electric supply operation without using a charge-and-discharge control signal in an emergency by preparing an operating part in a charge-and-discharge connector for delivering and receiving electric power between vehicles and the charge-and-discharge control device outside the vehicles and operating the operating part to make the vehicles detect that an electric supply operation is possible without using the charge-and-discharge control signal used for controlling charge and discharge at normal times.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomoya Ono, Shigeki Kinomura
  • Patent number: 8872473
    Abstract: A system for recharging a battery in a hybrid vehicle provided with two motor is provided. If connection of a recharging connector (recharging stand) is detected, an initial activation of a controller is performed, and a DC link is pre-recharged. If the DC link is pre-recharged to a voltage higher than or equal to a predetermined voltage, an exterior AC or DC electricity is supplied to the battery so as to recharge the battery according to the present invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventors: Hong Seok Song, Ki Young Jang
  • Patent number: 8872477
    Abstract: A battery pack and a method of operating the battery pack are disclosed. The battery pack includes a plurality of battery cells and is configured to open a terminal of the battery if an open circuit is detected in a line connecting battery cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jongwoon Yang, Euijeong Hwang, Susumu Segawa, Jinwan Kim, Hanseok Yun, Beomgyu Kim
  • Patent number: 8872517
    Abstract: An electronic battery tester for testing a storage battery, includes connections configured to couple to terminals of the battery. Measurement circuitry is coupled to the connections and configured to measure a parameter of the battery. An input is configured to receive a battery age input variable. Computation circuitry is configured to provide a test output related to a condition of the battery based upon the measured parameter and the battery age input variable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Midtronics, Inc.
    Inventors: John S. Philbrook, Kevin I. Bertness
  • Patent number: 8860421
    Abstract: A cell voltage measuring apparatus of a battery pack comprises a plurality of multiplexers connected corresponding to each cell group of the battery pack and operated to output a voltage signal of each cell in each cell group based on a reference potential applied from a corresponding cell group; a plurality of floating capacitors connected corresponding to each cell in each cell group and on which the voltage of each cell is charged and held; a switching means for enabling the voltage of each cell to be charged and held on each corresponding floating capacitor; and a controller for controlling the switching means per each cell group to enable the voltage of each cell to be charged and held on each corresponding floating capacitor and controlling each multiplexer to measure the cell voltage held on each floating capacitor of each cell group connected to each corresponding multiplexer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: LG Chem, Ltd.
    Inventors: Jin-Seok Heo, Jee-Ho Kim, Dal-Hoon Lee, Sang-Hoon Lee
  • Patent number: 8860369
    Abstract: An apparatus includes multiple taps coupled to a power line segment. The apparatus also includes circuitry coupled to a charging station and coupled to the multiple taps, with the circuitry being configured to discriminate between communication signals propagating on a power line segment in the direction from the first end to a second end of the power line segment and communication signals propagating on the power line segment in the direction from the second end to the first end. The circuitry includes a signal processing unit in communication with each of the taps, wherein the signal processing unit is configured to control a phase for at least a portion of a signal for at least a first of the taps relative to a phase for a corresponding portion of the signal for at least a second of the taps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventor: James G. Zyren
  • Patent number: 8860376
    Abstract: A charging control circuit for a secondary battery includes a temperature detection terminal for detecting the temperature of a secondary battery from an input detected voltage; a temperature comparison part having four threshold voltages corresponding to four reference temperatures, the temperature comparison part being configured to compare the four threshold voltages with the detected voltage input to the temperature detection terminal and to output a temperature range signal indicating the temperature range of the detected voltage; and a control part configured to control a charging current and/or a charging voltage based on the temperature range signal output from the temperature comparison part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsumi Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Daisuke Kimura, Koichi Yamaguchi, Iwao Kitamura
  • Patent number: 8860373
    Abstract: A protective circuit includes a smoothing circuit in which a pulse-like charging output permitting signal is input in a normal charging state and the pulse-like charging output permitting signal is not input in an abnormal charging state, and a charging output control element that is controlled so as to permit or stop a charging output with respect to an electric storage device, permits the charging output by an output signal in which the charging output permitting signal is smoothened by the smoothing circuit, and stops the charging output when an abnormal charging state is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Keisuke Saito
  • Patent number: 8854004
    Abstract: An energy storage system and a controlling method thereof are provided. Accordingly, an operation mode of the energy storage system is stably changed. The energy storage system includes: a battery; an inverter for receiving a first power from an external source and generating a second power; and a converter coupled between the battery and both the external source and the inverter. The converter is configured to enter an off mode between a charge mode for charging the battery and a discharge mode for discharging the battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Sung-Im Lee
  • Patent number: 8847549
    Abstract: A representative base unit for charging a remote controller and a multimedia device includes at least two docking stations for a remote controller and a multimedia device, wherein the at least two docking stations having charging slots that transfer power to the remote controller and the multimedia device for recharging; and a processing device that is electrically coupled to the docking stations for communicating with the remote controller and the multimedia device, wherein the processing device facilitates communication between the remote controller and the multimedia device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Inventor: Tarah Graham
  • Patent number: 8847552
    Abstract: A battery pack blocks a current flowing between battery cells coupled in parallel among a plurality of battery cells coupled in series and in parallel while measuring voltages so as to prevent a battery cell in a low-voltage state from being automatically charged through a battery cell coupled in parallel to the battery cell in a low-voltage state, and the battery pack accurately determines whether there is an abnormal battery cell by detecting voltages of battery cells coupled in series, thereby performing accurate measurement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hun-Tae Ro
  • Patent number: 8847543
    Abstract: A secondary battery charging system includes a secondary battery charging device and a power generation device that generates a charging current. The secondary battery charging device controls the charging a secondary battery, which has a protection timer that counts a first elapsed time from a start of charging. The secondary battery charging device includes a charging switch that controls a supply of the charging current, a time management timer portion that counts a second elapsed time starting from a point at which the charging switch becomes conductive and performs a charging stop determination and that counts a third elapsed time starting from a point at which the charging switch is cut off and performs a charging start determination, and a charging control portion that causes the charging switch to be conductive or cut off based on results of the charging stop determination and the charging start determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: NTT DoCoMo, Inc.
    Inventors: Shigeki Yagi, Hirokazu Serita, Mitsuharu Chiba, Hiroyuki Konishi, Akiko Asahata, Yasuyuki Kanai, Takayuki Kanai, Naoji Nomura
  • Patent number: 8841885
    Abstract: Provided is an information processing device capable of easily determining the number of times of charge/discharge of each of a plurality of secondary battery packs, the information processing device including a charge/discharge execution unit (21, 22, 23) having the following configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: NEC Infrontia Corporation
    Inventors: Yukiyasu Ibe, Teppei Hamada, Taeko Satoh, Takeshi Sasaki, Takeshi Miyaji, Yu Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8836285
    Abstract: Provided is a power management system capable of controlling charge and discharge of storage batteries according to power requirement of load even when handling electric power of large scale. A system controller receives load-related information data including the power requirement of load and storage battery-related information data including a state of a storage battery assembly including multiple storage batteries and creates an overall charge-discharge control instruction for the entire power management system based on the load-related information data and the storage battery-related information data. A hierarchical charge-discharge control apparatus receives the overall charge-discharge control instruction from the system controller and performs charge-discharge control of the multiple storage batteries, classified into hierarchical levels, on a hierarchical level basis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ken Yamada, Takeshi Nakashima, Hayato Ikebe, Souichi Sakai, Yasuo Okuda, Takuji Sugata, Toshiya Iwasaki, Youichiro Nishikawa
  • Patent number: 8823329
    Abstract: Embodiments are disclosed that relate to devices for discharging batteries. For example, one disclosed embodiment provides a battery discharge device including a positive battery contact for forming an electrical contact with a positive battery terminal of a battery, a negative battery contact for forming an electrical contact with a negative battery terminal of the battery, and a battery discharge indicator including a resistive heating material in electrical communication with the positive battery contact and with the negative battery contact, and also including a reversible thermochromic indicator in thermal communication with the resistive heating material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Inventors: Steven E. Sloop, Robert Parker
  • Patent number: 8823320
    Abstract: A vehicle charging system (1) includes: a connection cable (2) for supplying power from the external power source (12) such as a commercial power source; the drive battery (8); an auxiliary battery (9); and a drive battery charging device (3). The drive battery charging device (3) includes a power source circuit (7) connected to the external power source (12), the drive battery (8), and the auxiliary battery (9). Power from at least one of the external power source (12), the drive battery (8), and the auxiliary battery (9) is supplied to the control section (4). Operation of the control section (4) becomes possible with the supplied power. Accordingly, under control of the control section (4), a charge section (10) charges the drive battery (8) and the auxiliary battery (9) using power from the external power source (12).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Mamoru Takikita
  • Patent number: 8816637
    Abstract: A vehicle guidance system is provided with a controller configured to receive input signals indicative of an instantaneous charging port position relative to an external charging pad and a charging status. The controller is further configured to transmit a vehicle status signal in response to the input signals. An interface communicates with the controller, and is configured to display a vehicle position indicator and a charging status message in response to the vehicle status signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Douglas Raymond Martin, Kenneth James Miller, William David Treharne
  • Patent number: 8816669
    Abstract: Various apparatuses and methods for supplying an electrical current are disclosed herein. For example, some embodiments provide an apparatus including a current regulation switch connected in a current path between a power input and a current output. A current regulator is connected to the current regulation switch. The current regulator includes a current set terminal, and the current through the current regulation switch is proportional to the current through current set terminal. An impedance monitor is connected to the current set terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen Christopher Terry, Paul L. Brohlin
  • Patent number: 8797001
    Abstract: The invention relates to a capacitor charger system (100) comprising a capacitor charger module (110), an isolated acquisition module (120), and a digital control module (130). The isolated acquisition module (120) is configured for sampling an output voltage level of said capacitor charger module (110). The digital control module (130) is connected to the isolated acquisition module (120) via a bi-directional link and connected to the capacitor charger module (110) via a control signal interface. The digital control module (130) is configured for generating control signal information and synchronization signal information based on data representative of sampled output voltage levels received via the bi-directional link from the isolated acquisition module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Scandinova Systems AB
    Inventors: Klas Elmqvist, Carl Hartman, Magnus Graas, Andreas Wickström, Jonas Gustafsson, Jan Lundgren, Walter Frederick John Crewson