Abstract: Disclosed herein are batteries, battery packs, systems, and methods for calculating and/or determining, and then compensating for, the voltage loss due to interconnect resistance (IR) between cells of a battery pack. A program may calculate and/or determine the cell IR between each of the cells in a battery pack, which is referred to herein as the “calibration value,” and may be determined during the initial battery pack design phase. A program may then multiply the cell IR or “calibration value” by the measured pack current to compensate for the measured cell voltage. The cell IR or “calibration value” may be used during manufacture of the battery pack to compensate for the interconnect resistance (IR) between cells. This compensation for voltage loss due to IR between cells will increase accuracy of the BMS and improve overall battery pack performance, without increasing material costs or size of the battery pack.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are battery management systems (BMS) for controlling the operating state of a battery pack device, as well as methods for changing the operating state of a battery pack device. The battery pack may have multiple cells therein, each cell capable of generating multiple different voltages to allow more energy (voltage×current) to be quickly and efficiently put into the battery, thus optimizing battery charging (i.e., reducing battery charging times). These battery packs may change from operating in series, to operating in parallel, when desired, while utilizing affordable relays and more affordable electrical components. These battery packs may be comprised of any number of cells and can controlled and/or operated by the BMS, for optimal battery charging, or for optimal discharging, as desired. The BMS may be any type of control logic and/or software, operable to control and/or operate the battery packs.

Abstract: A compact disc player includes an optical pickup supported by a carriage and a microprocessor for controlling the movement of a coarse actuator and a fine actuator. The coarse actuator controls the movement of the carriage and maintains its position when power is interrupted to the coarse actuator. The fine actuator is disposed between the carriage and the pickup and provides fine movement for the pickup when power is supplied to the actuator. The fine actuator moves the pickup to a neutral position when power is interrupted. A resume function is provided that restores the position of the pickup after a power interruption to its position before the interruption. A value indicative of the position of the pickup relative to the carriage is stored in memory. When power is restored to the disc player, the value is read from memory. The disc control microprocessor directs incremental movements of the fine actuator until the position of the pickup corresponds to the position represented by the stored value.