Power supply for battery powered devices

• US 8,686,682 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2011
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Energizer Brands, LLC (Energizer Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Eveready Battery Company Incorporated (Energizer Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Eager, Jon S., Hoffman, Peter F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Nguyen
• Application Number:
  US13/235,673
• Publication Number:
  US 20120007546A1
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• Field of Search: 320/103, 320/113, 320/114, 320/116, 320/119, 320/128, 320/138
• US Class Current: 320/103
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0068 Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply H02J7/0013 takes precedence

Abstract

An auxiliary power supply (150) includes an auxiliary battery (152), power supply circuitry (154), and a connector (108b). The power supply circuitry (154) supplies an output which provides electrical energy for powering the electrical circuitry (102) of a battery powered device (100) and for recharging a battery (104) associated therewith. In one embodiment, the power supply circuitry (154) supplies an output current which is a function of the charge state of the auxiliary battery (152) and a load current presented by the electrical circuitry (102).

Claims

1. An auxiliary power supply system comprising:

a battery powered device that includes a device communication interface, a first battery and device electrical circuitry using electrical energy from the first battery and provides desired voltage and current levels, a device identifier, and a battery identifier as device electrical circuitry data via the device communication interface; and

a power supply comprising;

a supply communication interface coupled to the device communication interface of the battery powered device;

an auxiliary power supply; and

power supply electrical circuitry powered by the auxiliary power supply that receives the device electrical circuitry data via the supply communication interface from the battery powered device and provides electrical energy from the auxiliary power supply at the desired voltage and current levels to the device electrical circuitry of the battery powered device according to the device electrical circuitry data for powering the device electrical circuitry and charging the first battery.

2. The power supply system of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary power supply comprises a portable power source.

3. The power supply system of claim 2, wherein the portable power source comprises a second battery.

4. An auxiliary power supply comprising:

an auxiliary power source;

a connector having a power connection and a data connection, the data connection receives device data; and

electrical circuitry powered by the auxiliary power source that receives the device data from a battery powered device via the data connection and provides electrical energy to the battery powered device via the power connection according to the device data, wherein the device data includes voltage and current requirements, device electrical load information, device electrical characteristics information, and battery state of health information, a device identifier and a battery identifier, wherein the electrical energy provided to the battery powered device is provided by the auxiliary power source at the desired voltage and current levels for powering the battery powered device and charging a device battery of the battery powered device.

5. The auxiliary power supply of claim 4, wherein the auxiliary power source comprises a portable power source.

6. The auxiliary power supply of claim 5, wherein the portable power source comprises a second battery.

7. A method, comprising:

providing a battery powered device, which includes a first battery and device electrical circuitry;

generating voltage and current requirements data;

generating device identification data;

providing an auxiliary power supply to supply electrical energy to the battery powered device, wherein the auxiliary power supply includes a connector, an auxiliary power source and electrical circuitry, which is powered by the auxiliary power source, the connector having a data connection and a power connection;

receiving the voltage and current requirements data from the battery powered device by the auxiliary power supply via the data connection of the connector;

receiving the device identification data from the battery powered device by the auxiliary power supply; and

supplying electrical energy to the battery powered device from the auxiliary power source of the auxiliary power supply in accordance with the voltage and current requirements data and the device identification data for powering the device electrical circuitry and charging the first battery.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the auxiliary power source is portable.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the auxiliary power source comprises a second battery.