Power supply unit
DCFirst Claim
1. A power supply unit for supplying power to a parking meter, the power supply unit includinga rechargeable, main battery;
- a charging arrangement for charging the main battery;
a set of connectors for a back-up battery;
a wireless communication device for communicating a status message regarding the state of the main battery and the state of the back-up battery to a control system external to the parking meter;
a set of load terminals for connection to a load;
a control unit for controlling supply of power to the load primarily from the main battery and secondarily from the back-up battery; and
a housing that encloses the main battery, the back-up battery, the control unit, and the wireless communication device;
wherein the housing includes the load terminals and is received within the parking meter.
4 Assignments
Litigations
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Accused Products
Abstract
A power supply unit for supplying power to a device has a rechargeable, main battery; a charging arrangement for charging the main battery; a non-rechargeable back-up battery; load terminals for connection to a load; and a control unit for controlling supply of power to the load primarily from the main battery and secondarily from the back-up battery. The device is, in particular, a single bay, stand alone parking meter. In the event that the main battery runs low, the control unit is configured to supply power to the load from both the main battery and the back-up battery or only from the back-up battery. The back-up battery is easily replaceable, and the power supply unit has a bay, with connectors for receiving the back-up battery. The main battery is charged from solar panels. A communication device is provided to communicate status messages wirelessly to a control system.
158 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A power supply unit for supplying power to a parking meter, the power supply unit including
a rechargeable, main battery; -
a charging arrangement for charging the main battery; a set of connectors for a back-up battery; a wireless communication device for communicating a status message regarding the state of the main battery and the state of the back-up battery to a control system external to the parking meter; a set of load terminals for connection to a load; a control unit for controlling supply of power to the load primarily from the main battery and secondarily from the back-up battery; and a housing that encloses the main battery, the back-up battery, the control unit, and the wireless communication device; wherein the housing includes the load terminals and is received within the parking meter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A parking meter comprising:
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a parking meter housing; a solar panel; a power supply unit for supplying electrical power, the power supply unit including a rechargeable, main battery, a charging arrangement for charging the main battery, a set of connectors for a back-up battery, a wireless communication device for communicating a status message regarding the state of the main battery and the state of the back-up battery from the power supply unit to a control system external to the parking meter, a solar panel terminal for connecting the charging arrangement to the solar panel, a set of load terminals for connection to a load, a control unit for controlling supply of power to the load primarily from the main battery and secondarily from the back-up battery, and a housing that encloses the main battery, the back-up battery, the control unit, and the wireless communication device, wherein the housing of the power supply unit includes the load terminals and is received within the parking meter housing. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification