POWER SUPPLY APPARATUS

• US 20140191705A1
• Filed: 05/02/2012
• Published: 07/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Takao, Hiroshi, Aoki, Hideaki
• Granted Patent: US 9,509,156 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/103
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/42 Methods or arrangements for servicing or maintenance of secondary cells or secondary half-cells H01M10/60 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/448 End of discharge regulating measures
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/10 Batteries in stationary systems, e.g. emergency power source in plant
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• 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 7/00714 in response to battery charging or discharging current
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery charger in a power supply apparatus is mechanically and electrically connectable to and disconnectable from a battery that is for supplying electric power to a power-assisted bicycle, and includes an AC outlet and a USB connecting terminal that are electrically connected with the other apparatus and supply the electric power from the battery to the other apparatus.

Claims

1-13. -13. (canceled)

14. A power supply apparatus which supplies electric power to an external apparatus by using a storage battery pack having a connecting terminal unit which is electrically connected to an other apparatus and capable of supplying the electric power to the other apparatus, the power supply apparatus comprising:

a connecting unit connectable to and disconnectable from the connecting terminal unit of the storage battery pack which has been detached from the other apparatus, and capable of obtaining electric power discharged from the storage battery pack via the connecting terminal unit when the connecting terminal unit of the storage battery pack is connected;

a power converting unit configured to convert the discharged electric power supplied from the connecting terminal unit of the storage battery pack via the connecting unit; and

a power supply unit to which a power receiving unit of the external apparatus is connected for supplying, to the external apparatus, the electric power resulting from the conversion by the power converting unit.

15. The power supply apparatus according to claim 14,

wherein the power converting unit is an inverter which converts DC power supplied from the connecting terminal unit of the storage battery pack into AC power.

16. The power supply apparatus according to claim 15,

wherein the power supply unit is an outlet to which a power plug of the external apparatus is connected for supplying the AC power to the external apparatus.

17. The power supply apparatus according to claim 14,

wherein the power converting unit is a converter which converts a voltage of the DC power supplied from the connecting terminal unit of the storage battery pack.

18. The power supply apparatus according to claim 17,

wherein the power supply unit is a USB connecting terminal to which a USB connector of the external apparatus is connected for supplying, to the external apparatus, the DC power the voltage of which has been converted by the power converting unit.

19. The power supply apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising

a charging/discharging switch for switching between charging of the storage battery pack and discharging in which the electric power in the storage battery pack is supplied to the external apparatus.

20. The power supply apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising

a forced outage unit configured to (1) in the case where the storage battery pack is being charged, stop charging the storage battery pack when the storage battery pack is fully charged, and (2) in the case where the storage battery pack is being discharged, stop discharging the storage battery pack when a residual charge amount of the storage battery pack decreases to a predetermined residual charge amount, when a current of the storage battery pack increases to a predetermined current value, or when a voltage of the storage battery pack decreases to a predetermined value.

21. The power supply apparatus according to claim 14,

wherein the other apparatus is a bicycle or an electric drill.