Ultra-capacitor based energy storage in a battery form factor

• US 9,673,637 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2011
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Borkar, Shekhar Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): OMAR, AHMED H
• Application Number:
  US13/992,627
• Publication Number:
  US 20130271091A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,987 Days
• Field of Search: 320167
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/14 Arrangements or processes for adjusting or protecting hybrid or EDL capacitors emergency protective circuit arrangements specially adapted for capacitors, and effecting automatic switching in the event of an undesired change from normal working conditions H02H7/16; emergency protective circuit arrangements for limiting excess current or voltages without disconnection H02H9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4264 with capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/13 Energy storage using capacitors

Abstract

An ultra-capacitor based energy source may replace rechargeable and conventional batteries. It may have the form factor of a conventional battery and may emulate the discharge characteristics of the replaced battery.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a housing in the form factor of a battery;

an ultra-capacitor for electric energy storage, and

with electronics in said housing to emulate discharge characteristics of the battery wherein said electronics includes a detector to determine whether to reduce or increase a capacitor voltage of the ultra-capacitor by comparing the capacitor voltage with a terminal voltage across battery terminals using an operational amplifier implemented with hysteresis and by comparing a fixed ratio of the terminal voltage created by one or more resistors against a ratio of the capacitor voltage created by one or more resistors, and one or more voltage converters for down converting and up converting the capacitor voltage.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said apparatus emulates a rechargeable battery discharge characteristic.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said apparatus emulates a disposable battery discharge characteristic.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said electronics to maintain a substantially constant output voltage for said apparatus.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 including a step down, step up, and a combined voltage converter to maintain constant voltage at terminals of the apparatus.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 said apparatus to reduce output voltage to a level to activate a battery low voltage indicator.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 having an output voltage of about 1.2V.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 having an output voltage of about 1.5V.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 having an output voltage of less than 2 volts.

10. A method comprising:

housing an ultra-capacitor in the form factor of a battery; and

emulating discharge characteristics of the battery using the ultra-capacitor wherein said electronics includes a detector to determine whether to reduce or increase a capacitor voltage of the ultra-capacitor by comparing the capacitor voltage with a terminal voltage across battery terminals using an operational amplifier implemented with hysteresis and by comparing a fixed ratio of the terminal voltage created by one or more resistors against a ratio of the capacitor voltage created by one or more resistors, and one or more voltage converters for down converting and up converting the capacitor voltage.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein emulating includes emulating a rechargeable battery discharge characteristic.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein emulating includes emulating a disposable battery discharge characteristic.

13. The method of claim 10 including maintaining a substantially constant output voltage from said ultra-capacitor to maintain constant voltage at terminals of the battery.

14. The method of claim 13 stepping down and stepping up voltage produced by said ultra-capacitor.

15. The method of claim 10 including reducing an output voltage to a level to activate a battery low voltage indicator.

16. The method of claim 10 including producing an output voltage of about 1.2V using said ultra-capacitor.

17. The method of claim 10 including producing an output voltage of about 1.5V using said ultra-capacitor.

18. The method of claim 10 including producing an output voltage of less than 2 volts using said ultra-capacitor.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a housing in the form factor of a battery, said housing including terminals;

an ultra-capacitor for electric energy storage, and

with electronics in said housing to maintain a substantially constant voltage at the terminals of the apparatus wherein said electronics includes a detector to determine whether to reduce or increase a capacitor voltage of the ultra-capacitor by comparing the capacitor voltage with a terminal voltage across battery terminals using an operational amplifier implemented with hysteresis and by comparing a fixed ratio of the terminal voltage created by one or more resistors against a ratio of the capacitor voltage created by one or more resistors, and one or more voltage converters for down converting and up converting the capacitor voltage.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said apparatus emulates a rechargeable battery discharge characteristic.

21. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said apparatus emulates a disposable battery discharge characteristic.

22. The apparatus of claim 19 including a step down, step up, and a combined voltage converter.

23. The apparatus of claim 19 said apparatus to reduce output voltage to a level to activate a battery low voltage indicator.

24. The apparatus of claim 19 having an output voltage of about 1.2V.

25. The apparatus of claim 19 having an output voltage of about 1.5V.

26. The apparatus of claim 19 having an output voltage of less than 2 volts.