Portable Power Supply

• US 20090278406A1
• Filed: 07/21/2009
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Eveready Battery Company Incorporated (Energizer Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Eveready Battery Company Incorporated (Energizer Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hoffman, Peter F.
• Application Number:
  US12/506,554
• Publication Number:
  US 20090278406A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/66
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0063 with circuits adapted for supplying loads from the battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0068 Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply H02J7/0013 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007182 in response to battery voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034

Abstract

A system includes a power device and an electronic device. The electronic device includes a rechargeable power source and device electrical circuitry. The power device supplies power to the rechargeable power source according to at least one of a charging mode, an extended use mode, and a defined energy mode.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a device that includes a first rechargeable power source and device electrical circuitry in power communication with the rechargeable power source;

a power source receiving region;

a power supply that receives power from a second power source received in the receiving region and supplies power to the device; and

a controller that controls operation of the power supply and causes the power supply to operate according to a first extended use mode.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first extended use mode include wherein the power supplied by the power supply and an operating power drawn by the device electrical circuitry are in equilibrium.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first extended use mode further includes wherein a state of charge of the first rechargeable power source is substantially unchanged.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the power supply supplies power to the device according to a second charging mode in which the temporal average of the power supplied by the power supply is greater than the temporal average of the operating power drawn by the device electrical circuitry, wherein the rechargeable power source is charged using power from the second power source.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller causes the power supply to discontinue the supply of power to the device when a defined amount of energy has been supplied by the power supply.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the controller includes a timer that measures an elapsed time during which the power supply has supplied power to the device.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a mechanism for limiting the average power supplied by the power supply to a level that is approximately equal to the average power drawn by the device electrical circuitry.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the power supply provides power to the device according to the relation:

Duty Cycle P_{Power Device Instantaneous}≈

P_{Device Electrical Circuitry Average}

9. An apparatus comprising:

a portable device that includes a first rechargeable power source and device electrical circuitry;

a power device;

a power source receiving region within the power device;

a power supply within the power device that receives power from a second power source received in the receiving region and supplies power to the first rechargeable power source;

a controller within the power device that causes the power supply to supply power to the first rechargeable power source according to a defined energy mode in which the power supply supplies a defined amount of energy.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the controller causes the power supply to supply power to the rechargeable power source for a defined time period.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 including a timer that measures the time period.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 including a connector that removably electrically connects the power supply and the device and a connection detector that detects a connection between the power supply and the device, wherein the time period is initiated in response to a detected connection.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 including a user interface that allows the user to vary the time period.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 including a user interface that allows the user to define the amount of energy.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the user interface allows the user to initiate the supply of power from the power supply to the device.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the user interface includes an energy variation switch, the activation of which varies the defined amount of energy.

17. A method comprising:

providing a device that includes a first rechargeable power source and device electrical circuitry;

receiving power from a second power source;

using a power supply to supply power from the second power source to the device; and

during an operation of the device electrical circuitry, operating the power supply according to an extended use mode that maintains a state of equilibrium between the supplied power and an operating power drawn by the device electrical circuitry.

18. The method of claim 17 including using a controller to maintain the temporal average of the supplied power at a value that is approximately equal to the temporal average of the power drawn by the electrical circuitry.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the controller includes a sensor that senses a current supplied to the device.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the product of an instantaneous power supplied to the device and a duty cycle is approximately equal to an average power drawn by the device electrical circuitry.