System for charging displays

• US 9,204,735 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2012
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CHECKPOINT SYSTEMS, INC. (CCL Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: CHECKPOINT SYSTEMS, INC. (CCL Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: McMahon, Michael T., Belden, Dennis D. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Paul
• Application Number:
  US13/414,848
• Publication Number:
  US 20130200879A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,370 Days
• Field of Search: 320/107, 320112-114, 323/318, 323/322, 323/353
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/00 Show cases or show cabinets
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge

Abstract

A system and method for charging a merchandise item is presented. A power supply system for charging the merchandise item includes: a power supply unit, a power cable with a cable control logic. The power supply unit includes a variable power supply and power supply control logic. The power supply can be attached at one end to a power socket of the merchandise item and at the other end to the power supply unit. The cable control logic reads a power requirement from a charge adaptor logic located near the end of the cable connected to the merchandise item and communicates it over the power cable to the power supply control logic. The power supply control logic controls the variable power supply based, at least in part, on the power requirement so that the variable power supply generates a supplied voltage onto the power cable to power the merchandise item.

Claims

1. A power supply system for supplying power to a merchandise item on display, the power supply system comprising:

a power supply unit comprising;

a variable power supply; and

power supply control logic;

a power cable with a first end and a second end configured to be attached to a power socket of the merchandise item, wherein the first end is configured to be attached to the power supply unit, wherein the power cable further comprises;

cable control logic configured to read a power requirement from a charge adaptor logic and to communicate the power requirement over the power cable to the power supply control logic; and

wherein the power supply control logic is configured to control the variable power supply based, at least in part, on the power requirement so that the variable power supply generates a supplied voltage onto the power cable to power the merchandise item, and

wherein the power supply control logic, the cable control logic and the charge adaptor logic, are microcontrollers executing software instructions stored on a non-transitory storage device.

2. The power supply system of claim 1 wherein the power cable is comprised of:

two conductors for transmitting the supplied voltage; and

a single communications conductor over which the cable control logic and the power supply control logic communicate.

3. The power supply system of claim 2 wherein the power cable only has the three conductors and no other conductors.

4. The power supply system of claim 2 further comprising:

regulator logic configured to regulate a voltage of the single communication conductor.

5. The power supply system of claim 1 wherein the charge adaptor logic is one of the group of:

a memory and one or more resistors.

6. The power supply system of claim 1 wherein the charge adaptor is located near the second end of the power cable.

7. The power supply system of claim 1 wherein the cable control logic further comprises:

an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to generate a digital voltage value of the supplied voltage at the second end of the power cable, wherein the cable control logic is configured to send the digital voltage value over the power cable to the power supply control logic, wherein the power supply control logic is configured to receive the digital voltage value and control the variable power supply based, at least in part, on the digital voltage value.

8. The power supply system of claim 1 wherein the cable control logic further comprises:

a voltage measurement device configured to measure a voltage value in the cable and wherein the cable control logic is configured to generate data value representative of the supplied voltage at the second end of the power cable based, at least in part, on the voltage value wherein the cable control logic is configured to send the voltage value to the power supply control logic, and wherein the power supply control logic is configured to receive the voltage value and control the variable power supply based, at least in part, on the voltage value.

9. The power supply system of claim 1, wherein the power cable comprises:

a single communication wire, wherein the power supply control logic and the cable control logic communicates over the single communication wire.

10. The power supply system of claim 9 wherein the power supply control logic and the cable control logic are configured to communicate over the single communication wire using digital messages.

11. The power supply system of claim 9 wherein the power supply control logic and the cable control logic are microcontrollers executing software instructions.

12. The power supply system of claim 1 further comprising:

a measuring device configured to periodically measure the supplied voltage at the second end of the cable and configured to create corresponding measured voltage values, wherein the cable control logic further comprises;

a microcontroller configured to execute software instructions to periodically send at least some of the measured voltage values to the power supply control logic.

13. The power supply system of claim 1 wherein the power supply control logic is configured to control the variable power supply based, at least in part, on the measured voltage values and on known line and connector losses of the power cable.