INTELLIGENT DEVICE AND POWER SOURCE INTERACTION

• US 20100264875A1
• Filed: 09/05/2007
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Energizer Brands, LLC (Energizer Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Eveready Battery Company Incorporated (Energizer Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hoffman, Peter F., Brandon, Michael J. II
• Granted Patent: US 7,960,944 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/111
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/14 The load or loads being home appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 5/00 Circuit arrangements for transfer of electric power between ac networks and dc networks H02J3/36 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/005 using a power saving mode for copiers G03G15/5004
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/20 End-user application control systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/242 Home appliances

Abstract

A system includes a power source (102), a power supply (103), and an electrical appliance (106). The power supply (103) uses power from the power source (102) to supply power to the electrical appliance (106). The devices carry out one or more of operations such as power converter disconnect, load shifting, power supply capability determination, and load prioritization operations.

Claims

1. A power supply comprising:

a power converter that receives electrical power from an input power source and supplies electrical power to an electrical appliance;

a communication interface configured for communication with the electrical appliance and a component of the power supply.

2. The power supply of claim 1 wherein the power converter supplies power used to charge a rechargeable power source of the appliance and the power supply includes a power converter disconnect that disconnects at least a portion of the power converter from the input power source as a function of a signal received from the appliance via the communication interface.

3. The power supply of claim 2 wherein the signal indicates that the rechargeable power source is substantially fully charged and disconnecting the at least a portion of the power converter from the input power source reduces a power dissipated by the power converter during a time in which the rechargeable power source is not being charged.

4. The power supply of claim 2 wherein the appliance is human portable and the power converter disconnect connects the at least a portion of the power converter to the input power source in response to a signal received from the appliance via the communication interface.

5. The power supply of claim 2 wherein the power supply includes a switch disposed electrically between the input power source and the power converter, and wherein the power converter disconnect opens the switch in response to the signal.

6. The power supply of claim 2 wherein the power converter includes a switched mode power converter including a chopper and the power converter disconnect disables an operation of the chopper in response to the signal.

7. The power supply of claim 1 wherein the power supply includes a power plug and a housing, the power converter and the communication interface are disposed in the housing, and the power plug protrudes from a surface of the housing so as to removably engage a power outlet of the power source.

8. The power supply of claim 1 wherein the input power source is an electrical power system that is subject to a time varying power demand and the power supply includes a load shifter that temporally shifts an electrical load presented by the appliance from a time of relatively higher demand to a time of relatively lower demand.

9. The power supply of claim 8 wherein the load shifter selects an appliance mode from at least a first relatively high power operating mode and a second relatively low power mode, and information indicative of the selected mode is provided to the appliance via the communication interface.

10. The power supply of claim 8 wherein the power supply is a wall plug adapter.

11. The power supply of claim 1 wherein the input power source is characterized by a time varying power output capability, the power converter is characterized by a time varying power output capability that varies as a function of the input power source power output capability, the power supply includes a power output capability determiner that generates a time varying output indicative of the power output capability of the power converter, and wherein information indicative of the determined capability is communicated to the appliance from time to time via the communication interface.

12. The power supply of claim 11 wherein the appliance includes a battery receiving region that receives at least one of a AAA, AA, C, or D-size secondary battery and a charger that charges a battery received in the battery receiving region, and wherein the information includes information indicative of a desired charging rate.

13. The power supply of claim 11 wherein the appliance includes a first electrical connector, a rechargeable power source, and an appliance electrical circuit, the power supply includes a second electrical connector that removably connects with the first connector, power from the power converter is used to charge the rechargeable power source during a time in which the first and second connectors are connected, and the rechargeable power source powers the appliance electrical circuit during a time in which the first and second connectors are disconnected.

14. The power supply of claim 1 wherein the power supply includes first and second connectors that concurrently connect to corresponding connectors of first and second appliances, the power supply includes a load prioritizer that prioritizes electrical loads presented by the first and second appliances, and information indicative of the priority is provided to the first appliance via the communication interface.

15. The power supply of claim 14 wherein the load prioritizer uses information received from the first appliance via the communication interface to prioritize the loads presented by the first and second appliances.

16. The power supply of claim 14 wherein the first appliance includes a charger that charges a rechargeable power source and the information includes information indicative of a desired charging rate.

17. An apparatus comprising:

a power converter that uses electrical power from an AC power line to supply electrical power for charging a secondary battery;

a power converter disconnect that disconnects at least a portion of the power converter from the AC power line as a function of the state of charge of the secondary battery so as to reduce a power dissipated by the power converter during a time in which the secondary battery is not being charged.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the secondary battery is a secondary battery of a human portable electrical appliance, the power supply includes a state of charge determiner that determines a state of charge of the secondary battery, and the power supply includes an electrical connector that provides a removable electrical connection between the power supply and the electrical appliance.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the power converter disconnect disconnects the at least a portion of the power converter from the AC power line when the secondary battery is substantially fully charged and reconnects the at least a portion of the power converter to the AC power line to maintain the secondary battery state of charge.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the power converter includes a transformer and the power converter disconnect disconnects a primary winding of the transformer from the AC power line so as to reduce a power dissipated by the transformer.

21. The apparatus of claim 17 including a charger and a battery receiving region, wherein the charger charges a secondary battery received in the battery receiving region and the secondary battery is inserted in the battery receiving region for charging and removed from the battery receiving region for use.

22. An electrical appliance comprising:

a charger that uses power from a power supply to charge a rechargeable power source;

at least one of a power converter disconnect requester and a temporal load shifter.

23. The appliance of claim 22 wherein the electrical appliance includes a communication interface, a state of charge determiner that determines a state of charge of the rechargeable power source, a power converter disconnect requester that produces a power converter disconnect request as a function of the determined state of charge, and the disconnect request is communicated to the power supply via the communication interface.

24. The appliance of claim 23 wherein the power supply includes a first electrical connector, the appliance includes the rechargeable power source, a charger, an appliance electrical circuit, and a second electrical connector, wherein the charger uses power from the power supply to charge the rechargeable power source during a time when the first and second connectors are connected and the appliance electrical circuit operates using power from the power source during a time when the first and second connectors are not connected.

25. The appliance of claim 23 wherein the power supply includes a power converter and the rechargeable power source supplies power to the power supply when the power converter is disconnected from the input power source.

26. The appliance of claim 22 wherein the power supply receives power from a power source that is subject to a time varying power demand, the appliance includes appliance electrical circuitry, an appliance power source, and a load shifter, and wherein the appliance is removably connectable to the power supply for power communication therewith, the load shifter temporally shifts an electrical load presented by the appliance to the power supply during a time when the appliance is connected to the power supply, and wherein the appliance electrical circuitry operates using power from the appliance power source during a time when the appliance is disconnected from the power supply.

27. The appliance of claim 22 wherein the power supply receives power from a power source that is subject is to a time varying power demand, the appliance includes a charger and a load shifter, the charger uses power from the power supply to charge a rechargeable power source, and the load shifter shifts an electrical load presented by the charger from a time of relatively high power demand from a time of relatively low demand.

28. The appliance of claim 22 wherein the appliance includes a measurement device, a GPS device, or a media player.

29. The appliance of claim 22 including a power converter disconnect requester and a temporal load shifter.

30. An apparatus comprising:

a first apparatus portion comprising;

a first housing

a power converter housed by the first housing;

a first electrical connector;

a second, human portable apparatus portion comprising;

a second housing;

a rechargeable power source receiving region;

a charger that uses power from the power converter to charge a rechargeable power source received in the receiving region, wherein the receiving region and the charger are housed by the second housing;

a second electrical connector that provides a removable electrical connection with the first electrical connector;

at least one of a power converter disconnect that disconnects the power converter from an input power source as a function of the state of charge of the rechargeable power source, a load shifter that temporally shifts an electrical load presented by charger, a power supply capability determiner that determines a power capability of the first appliance portion, and a load prioritizer that prioritizes an electrical load presented by the charger.

31. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein the first apparatus portion is configured as a wall plug adapter.

32. The apparatus of claim 30 including a power converter disconnect housed by the first housing.

33. The apparatus of claim 30 including a load shifter.

34. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein the first apparatus portion includes a third electrical connector and a load prioritizer, wherein the third electrical connector provides a removable electrical connection with an electrical connector of a third, human portable electrical appliance and the load prioritizer prioritizes the electrical loads presented by the second apparatus portion and the third electrical appliance.

35. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein the second apparatus portion is a consumer electrical appliance.

36. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein only one of the first apparatus portion or the second apparatus portion includes a communication interface configured to communicate with the other of the first apparatus portion or second apparatus portion.

37. A method of using a power supply including a power converter and a communication interface, the method comprising:

using the power converter to supply electrical power to a first electrical appliance;

receiving a first signal from the first electrical appliance via the communication interface.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein the power supply is plugged into an AC power outlet so as to receive power from an AC power source and the method includes:

detecting an appliance;

in response to detecting the appliance, connecting at least a portion of the power converter to the AC power source.

39. The method of claim 37 wherein the power supply is plugged into an AC power outlet so as to receive power from an AC power line connected to the outlet and the method includes:

without unplugging the power supply, disconnecting at least a portion of the power converter from the AC power line in response to the received signal.

40. The method of claim 37 wherein the power supply that is plugged into to a power outlet of a vehicular power system so as to receive power from the power system and the method includes:

detecting a disconnection of the electrical appliance from the power supply;

in response to the detected disconnection, and without unplugging the power supply, disconnecting an input of the power converter from the power system.

41. The method of claim 37 wherein the power supply is connected to an input power source and the method includes:

using power from the power converter to charge a rechargeable power source of the appliance so that the rechargeable power source is substantially fully charged;

disconnecting at least a portion of the power converter from the input power source;

reconnecting the at least a portion of power converter to the power source, using power from the reconnected power converter to charge the rechargeable power source, and disconnecting the at least a portion of the power source from the input power source a plurality of times so as to maintain a state of charge of the rechargeable power source.

42. The method of claim 37 wherein the power converter receives power from an electrical power source that is subject to time varying demand and the method includes:

determining a desired load shift;

communicating information indicative of the desired load shift via the communication interface;

time shifting an electrical load presented by the electrical appliance.

43. The method of claim 37 wherein the power converter receives power from a solar power source having a time varying power output capability and the power converter output capability varies as a function of the time varying power output capability of the solar power source, method comprising:

communicating information indicative of the power converter output capability via the communication interface;

varying, as a function of the communicated information, a rate of charge of a rechargeable power source of the appliance;

repeating the steps of varying and communicating;

disconnecting the appliance from the power supply;

carrying the appliance to a location remote from the power supply;

using power from the rechargeable power source to operate the appliance.

44. The method of claim 37 wherein the power supply is a wall plug adapter and the method includes:

receiving a second signal from a second electrical appliance, wherein the first and second electrical appliances are concurrently electrically connected to the power supply;

using the first signal to identify the first appliance;

prioritizing the electrical loads presented by the first and second appliances.

45. The method of claim 44 comprising:

selecting a mode from at least a first relatively high power operating mode and a second relatively low power mode;

sending information indicative of the selected mode to the first appliance via the communication interface.