Power supply
First Claim
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1. A rechargeable power supply comprising:
- at least one rechargeable cell connectable to a power source having a power rail;
voltage protection means connected across the at least one rechargeable cell in a reverse biased direction, the voltage protection means allowing leakage current to flow through the voltage protection means in a reverse direction; and
voltage dependent disconnecting means operable to disconnect said voltage protection means from said at least one rechargeable cell when voltage on the power rail is switched off to reduce discharge of said at least one rechargeable cell by the leakage current through said voltage protection means.
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Abstract
A rechargeable power supply including voltage protection means through voltage dependent disconnecting means. A rechargeable power supply comprises at least one rechargeable cell connectable to a power source, a Zener diode connected to the at least one cell, and a bipolar transistor or a FET for selectively disconnecting the Zener diode from the cell in order to reduce any discharge of the cell through the voltage protection means. The Zener diode and the transistor are connected together in series and jointly connected across the cell in parallel.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A rechargeable power supply comprising:
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at least one rechargeable cell connectable to a power source having a power rail; voltage protection means connected across the at least one rechargeable cell in a reverse biased direction, the voltage protection means allowing leakage current to flow through the voltage protection means in a reverse direction; and voltage dependent disconnecting means operable to disconnect said voltage protection means from said at least one rechargeable cell when voltage on the power rail is switched off to reduce discharge of said at least one rechargeable cell by the leakage current through said voltage protection means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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4. A rechargeable power supply comprising;
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at least one rechargeable cell connectable to a power source having a power rail; voltage protection means connected to the at least one rechargeable cell; and voltage dependent disconnecting means operable to disconnect said voltage protection means from said at least one rechargeable cell when voltage on the power rail is switched off to reduce any discharge of said at least one rechargeable cell through said voltage protection means, wherein said voltage protection means and said voltage dependent disconnecting means are connected together in series and jointly connected across said rechargeable cell in parallel.
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8. A method of protecting a rechargeable cell in a power supply, the power supply having a power rail, the method comprising:
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during recharging of said rechargeable cell, selectively connecting voltage protection means to said rechargeable cell for limiting a recharging voltage applied to said rechargeable cell; and after recharging of said rechargeable cell, selectively disconnecting said voltage protection means from said rechargeable cell when voltage on the power rail is switched off to reduce discharging of said rechargeable cell through said voltage protection means. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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15. A rechargeable power supply comprising:
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at least one rechargeable cell connectable to an applied voltage for recharging the at least one rechargeable cell; a voltage protection device coupled in parallel to the at least one at least one rechargeable cell, the voltage protection device capable of conducting current in a forward direction and being subject to breakdown at a predetermined voltage, wherein the breakdown allows the voltage protection device to conduct current in a reverse direction opposite the forward direction; and a switch coupled to the at least one rechargeable cell and coupled in series to the voltage protection device, wherein the switch is operable to disconnect the voltage protection device from the at least one rechargeable cell when the applied voltage is switched off to reduce discharge of the at least one rechargeable cell through the voltage protection device in the reverse direction during the breakdown.
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Specification