Supply batteries

• US 5,582,928 A
• Filed: 12/30/1994
• Issued: 12/10/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Farley, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Kalafut, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lilley, Jr., Richard H.
• Application Number:
  US08/366,710
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• Field of Search: 429/7, 429/61, 429/62, 320/22, 320/35, 320/48
• US Class Current: 429/7
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

The present invention relates to a supply battery arrangement having 3 terminals, for example a battery for a video camera recorder. This arrangement permits employing the battery both as an intelligent battery and as a non-intelligent battery capable of operating normally on devices of the standard video camera recorder type and also capable of communicating with a equipment or an intelligent device and displaying the state of charge with no additional terminals. The battery arrangement comprises a negative terminal (24) and a positive terminal (22) for supplying the equipment or the device with a voltage coming from the battery, a universal "T" terminal (26) operating as a thermal measuring means and a data terminal or a charge control output when it is employed by a computer, a charger or some other intelligent equipment or device.

Claims

1. A universal battery pack automatically adjustable for supplying electric power to either (i) a first device requiring first and second power terminals and a third terminal for a thermal-sensing signal or (ii) a second device requiring first and second power terminals and a third terminal for thermal-sensing signals, control signals and data signals, comprising:

a battery having first and second battery terminals;

first and second power terminals respectively coupled to the battery'"'"'s first and second battery terminals;

a third terminal coupled via a thermal sensor to one of the first or second battery terminals; and

a reporting circuit having (i) an input sensing circuit, coupled to the third terminal, for detecting a control signal from the second device, (ii) an output data circuit, normally decoupled from the third terminal, coupled to the battery for generating data signals about the battery condition for the second device, and (iii) a switching circuit coupled and responsive to the input sensing circuit for coupling the output data circuit to the third terminal when the input sensing circuit detects the control signal.