Induction rechargeable electronic candle system with motion sensor
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An electronic candle system comprising:
- a plurality of artificial candles, each candle comprising;
a candle housing having at its base, a generally cylindrical bore structure;
an LED light source;
a rechargeable DC battery for energizing the LED light source; and
a secondary winding at least partially surrounding the bore structure and electrically connected with the rechargeable DC battery;
wherein one or more of the plurality of artificial candles further comprises a motion sensor for sensing when the artificial candle is not in an upright position; and
a charging tray comprising;
a tray housing defining a plurality of sockets, each dimensioned to receive the base of one of the plurality of artificial candles, and each comprising a generally cylindrical post dimensioned to fit within the generally cylindrical bore structure of the artificial candle received by the socket;
a plurality of magnetic cores, such that a magnetic core is provided within each of the generally cylindrical posts; and
a plurality of primary windings, such that a primary winding at least partially surrounds each magnetic core;
wherein when one of the plurality of artificial candles is received within a socket of the charging tray, and the generally cylindrical post of the socket is positioned within the generally cylindrical bore structure of the artificial candle, the primary winding of the socket and the secondary winding of the artificial candle are inductively coupled so as to provide a charging current to the DC battery.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A large plurality of artificial, battery-operated, electronic candles are arranged to be simultaneously recharged upon placement on a series of interconnected charging trays that include a transformer primary winding at defined locations thereon. The primary windings are driven by an AC signal whose duty cycle is controlled by a pulse width modulator IC to induce a voltage across secondary windings contained within the candle housing. This induced signal is rectified to produce the battery charging current and the delivery of the charging current to the rechargeable batteries is controlled by a microprocessor IC.
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Citations
14 Claims
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1. An electronic candle system comprising:
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a plurality of artificial candles, each candle comprising; a candle housing having at its base, a generally cylindrical bore structure; an LED light source; a rechargeable DC battery for energizing the LED light source; and a secondary winding at least partially surrounding the bore structure and electrically connected with the rechargeable DC battery; wherein one or more of the plurality of artificial candles further comprises a motion sensor for sensing when the artificial candle is not in an upright position; and a charging tray comprising; a tray housing defining a plurality of sockets, each dimensioned to receive the base of one of the plurality of artificial candles, and each comprising a generally cylindrical post dimensioned to fit within the generally cylindrical bore structure of the artificial candle received by the socket; a plurality of magnetic cores, such that a magnetic core is provided within each of the generally cylindrical posts; and a plurality of primary windings, such that a primary winding at least partially surrounds each magnetic core; wherein when one of the plurality of artificial candles is received within a socket of the charging tray, and the generally cylindrical post of the socket is positioned within the generally cylindrical bore structure of the artificial candle, the primary winding of the socket and the secondary winding of the artificial candle are inductively coupled so as to provide a charging current to the DC battery. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. An artificial candle comprising:
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a housing having at its base, a generally cylindrical bore structure; an LED light source; a rechargeable DC battery for energizing the LED light source; a secondary winding at least partially surrounding the bore structure and electrically connected with the rechargeable DC battery; and a motion sensor for sensing when the artificial candle is not in an upright position; wherein the generally cylindrical bore structure is dimensioned for receiving a generally cylindrical post structure of a charging tray, the generally cylindrical post structure of the charging tray at least partially housing a magnetic core having a primary winding at least partially surrounding the magnetic core, such that the primary winding and secondary windings are inductively coupled when the generally cylindrical post structure is received by the generally cylindrically bore structure and a charging current is provided to the DC battery. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for simultaneously recharging a plurality of artificial votive candles, the method comprising:
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providing a plurality of artificial votive candles, each candle comprising; a candle housing having at its base, a generally cylindrical bore structure; an LED light source; a rechargeable DC battery for energizing the LED light source; and a secondary winding at least partially surrounding the bore structure and electrically connected with the rechargeable DC battery, wherein one or more of the plurality of artificial candles further comprises a motion sensor for sensing when the artificial candle is not in an upright position; adjacently and electrically interconnecting two or more artificial candle charging trays, each charging tray comprising; a tray housing defining a plurality of sockets, each dimensioned to receive the base of one of the plurality of artificial votive candles, and each comprising a generally cylindrical post dimensioned to fit within the generally cylindrical bore structure of the artificial votive candle received by the socket; a plurality of magnetic cores, such that a magnetic core is provided within each of the generally cylindrical posts; a plurality of primary windings, such that a primary winding at least partially surrounds each magnetic core; and an electrical plug member and an electrical socket member, the electrical plug member configured to receive the electrical socket member of an adjacent charging tray so as to electrically couple adjacent charging trays; and positioning a plurality of artificial votive candles on the plurality of interconnected charging trays for simultaneous charging by positioning each candle in an open socket of the charging trays with the generally cylindrical bore structure of the candle fit over the generally cylindrical post of the socket. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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Specification