PORTABLE ELECTRICAL POWER SOURCE FOR INCORPORATION WITH AN ARMORED GARMENT

• US 20110173731A1
• Filed: 01/15/2010
• Published: 07/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BAE Systems Protection Systems, Inc. (Safariland LLC)
• Original Assignee: BAE Systems Protection Systems, Inc. (Safariland LLC)
• Inventors: Sego, Kenneth JR., Furth, Daniel, Von Der Ahe, Kenneth Lee, Horvatich, Valent, Hoenes, Eric, Coltman, Joseph Wesley III, McElroy, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,502,506 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 2/2.5
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 1/02 Armoured or projectile- or missile-resistant garments; Composite protection fabrics F41H5/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/441 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4271 Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/211 adapted for pouch cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/238 Flexibility or foldability
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/247 specially adapted for portable devices, e.g. mobile phones, computers, hand tools or pacemakers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/296 characterised by terminals of battery packs terminals of batteries H01M50/543
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

An apparatus may be configured to provide electrical power while incorporated in an armored garment. The apparatus may include a plate having a footprint that corresponds to a plate of body armor, a plurality of energy storage cells carried by the power plate, and a port carried by the plate. The port may be configured to output power stored in the plurality of energy storage cells from the apparatus. The apparatus may also include one or more processors configured to enhance functionalities of the apparatus.

Claims

1. Apparatus configured to provide electrical power while incorporated in an armored garment, the apparatus comprising:

a plate having a footprint that corresponds to a plate of body armor;

a plurality of energy storage cells carried by the power plate;

a port carried by the plate, the port being configured to output power stored in the plurality of energy storage cells from the apparatus;

one or more processors configured to execute computer program modules, the computer program modules comprising;

a temperature module configured to monitor temperature of the energy storage cells such that temperature is monitored separately for separate thermal sets of one or more of the energy storage cells;

a charge level module configured to determine charge level separately for separate charge sets of one or more the energy storage cells; and

a status module configured to determine status information associated with individual ones of energy storage cells, wherein the status module is configured such that the status information for a given energy storage cell is determined based on (i) the temperature of the thermal set of energy storage cells corresponding to the given energy storage cell and (ii) the charge level of the charge set of energy storage cells corresponding to the given energy storage cell.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the thermal sets of energy storage cells are single, individual energy storage cells.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the charge sets of energy storage cells are single, individual energy storage cells.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the division of the energy storage cells into the thermal sets of energy storage cells is substantially identical to the division of the energy storage cells into the charge sets of energy storage cells.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the status module is further configured to provide determined status information to one or more devices to which electrical power is provided from the energy storage cells.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the status information includes an indication of a fault/no-fault status.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the computer program modules further comprise a cell disconnect module configured to disconnect energy storage cells such that power from a disconnected energy storage cell is no longer provided to the port, wherein the cell disconnect module is configured to disconnect energy storage cells responsive indications of the fault/no-fault status in the status information.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computer program modules further comprise a charge balancing module configured to control charge power level delivered to the charge groups of energy storage cells separately while the energy storage cells are being charged.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the charge power level delivered to a given charge group of energy storage cells is controlled based on one or more of capacity, resistance, or temperature of the given charge group of energy storage cells.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computer program modules further comprise a discharge balancing module configured to separately control discharge power level drawn from the charge groups of energy storage cells while the energy storage cells are being discharged.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the discharge power level discharged from a given charge group of energy storage cells is controlled based on one or more of capacity, resistance, or temperature of the given charge group of energy storage cells.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computer program modules further comprise a status display module configured to provide the status information to a user via a display device.

13. An apparatus configured to provide electrical power while incorporated in an armored garment, the apparatus comprising:

a plate having a footprint that corresponds to a plate of body armor;

a plurality of strings electrically coupled energy storage cells, wherein the plurality of strings of energy storage cells comprise;

a first string of energy storage cells that includes a first energy storage cell and a second energy storage cell, wherein the first energy storage cell and the second energy storage cell are electrically coupled; and

a second string of energy storage cells that includes a third energy storage cell and a fourth energy storage cell, wherein the third energy storage cell and the fourth energy storage cell are electrically coupled;

a plurality of confinement areas configured to separately physically isolate the strings of energy storage cells, wherein the plurality of confinement areas comprises;

a first confinement area configured to physically isolate the first string of energy storage cells from the rest of the plurality of energy storage cells; and

a second confinement area configured to physically isolate the second string of energy storage cells from the rest of the plurality of energy storage cells;

one or more processors configured to selectively control power delivered to or received from individual ones of the plurality of strings of energy storage cells based on operating parameters of the energy storage cells in the plurality of strings of energy storage cells.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising current protection devices associated with individual ones of the plurality of strings of energy storage cells, wherein the current protection devices are separate and discrete from the one or more processors, and wherein the current protection devices are configured to selectively limit current delivered to and from the individual ones of the plurality of strings of energy storage cells based on operating parameters of the energy storage cells in the plurality of strings of energy storage cells.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are configured to selectively disable the first string of energy storage cells responsive to one or more operating parameters of the first string of energy storage cells being outside of a predetermined range.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first confinement area is in fluid communication with a check valve configured to release gaseous pressure above a predetermined threshold pressure level.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the one or more operating parameters include temperature.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first energy storage cell and the second energy storage cell are electrically coupled by one or more wires that are physically isolated from the rest of the plurality of energy storage cells by the first confinement area, and wherein the third energy storage cell and the fourth energy storage cell are electrically coupled by one or more wires that are physically isolated from the rest of the plurality of energy storage cells by the second confinement area.

22. The armored garment of claim 17, wherein the electrical power source enhances ballistic protection.

19. An armored garment that incorporates an electrical power source, the armored garment comprising:

an armor plate situated in the garment to provide ballistic protection to the front of the upper abdomen of a wearer of the garment;

a sleeve disposed on the garment outside of the armor plate, the sleeve being configured to secure an electrical power source to the garment having a footprint that corresponds to a footprint of the armor plate, the sleeve having an opening through which the electrical power source is insertable and removable to the sleeve.

20. The garment of claim 19, wherein the opening is formed on a side of the sleeve opposite the head of a wearer of the garment while the garment is being worn by the user.

21. The armored garment of claim 19, further comprising a pouch configured to at least partially enclose the electrical power source within the sleeve.