External battery pack apparatus

• US 20040227489A1
• Filed: 06/23/2004
• Published: 11/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Dae-Young Youn, Hyun-Jun Kim
• Original Assignee: Dae-Young Youn, Hyun-Jun Kim
• Inventors: Kim, Hyun-Jun, Youn, Dae-Young
• Application Number:
  US10/874,957
• Publication Number:
  US 20040227489A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/128
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007 Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage

Abstract

Disclosed is an external battery pack apparatus for providing a portable appliance with a power-supply voltage. The apparatus includes an adapter for containing a power-supply terminal and output voltage setting terminals, and programming an output voltage by short-circuiting or open-circuiting at least one pair among the above terminals; a cable connected to the adapter; and a main body for containing a battery, a charging controller for charging the battery, and an output controller for performing a DC-to-DC conversion on a voltage charged in the battery and outputting the DC-to-DC converted voltage to the adapter via the cable, detecting a programming status of the adapter, and varying an output voltage in response to the detected programming status.

Claims

1. An external battery pack apparatus for providing a portable appliance with a power-supply voltage, comprising:

an adapter for containing a power-supply terminal and output voltage setting terminals, and programming an output voltage by short-circuiting or open-circuiting at least one pair among the above terminals;

a cable connected to the adapter; and

a main body for containing a battery, a charging controller for charging the battery, and an output controller for performing a DC-to-DC conversion on a voltage charged in the battery and outputting the DC-to-DC converted voltage to the adapter via the cable, detecting a programming status of the adapter, and varying an output voltage in response to the detected programming status.

2. The external battery pack apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the output controller includes:

adapter detecting means for generating different resistance values in response to a programming status of terminals of the adapter; and

a DC/DC converter for converting an output DC voltage according to a signal value of an output signal of the adapter detecting means.

3. The external battery pack apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein the adapter detecting means is a feedback circuit for feeding back an output voltage by a resistor array having different resistance values according to a connection status of the adapter terminals, and the DC/DC converter is a PWM circuit controlled by a feedback signal of the feedback circuit.

4. The external battery pack apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein the feedback signal is transmitted to the DC/DC converter via an optocoupler circuit.

5. The external battery pack apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein the adapter is discriminated from other adapters by a color code having difference colors in response to a setting status of the output voltage setting terminals.

6. The external battery pack apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the cable has connectors detachably connected to the main body.

7. The external battery pack apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a central controller for checking a charging/discharging state of the battery by controlling the charging controller; and

a communication port connected to the central controller, for transmitting the charging/discharging state information of the battery to a portable appliance.

8. The external battery pack apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein the communication port is integrated with the adapter as one body.

9. The external battery pack apparatus as set forth in claim 2, further comprising:

a central controller for checking a charging/discharging state of the battery by controlling the charging controller; and

a communication port connected to the central controller, for transmitting the charging/discharging state information of the battery to a portable appliance.

10. An external battery pack, comprising:

a cable having an adapter for providing a portable appliance with a power-supply voltage;

a battery;

a charging controller for charging the battery;

an output controller for performing a DC-to-DC conversion on a power-supply voltage generated from the battery, and transmitting the converted voltage to the cable;

a central controller for controlling the charging controller, and checking a charging/discharging state of the battery; and

a communication port connected to the central controller, for transmitting information of the charging/discharging state of the battery to a portable appliance.