RECHARGEABLE BATTERY PACK

• US 20150194839A1
• Filed: 01/05/2015
• Published: 07/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Otter Products LLC
• Original Assignee: Otter Products LLC
• Inventors: Wojcik, James J., Dalton, Dan L., Jebb, Michael E.
• Granted Patent: US 9,716,401 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/24 adapted for protecting batteries from their environment, e.g. from corrosion thermal insulation H01M10/658
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0049 Detection of fully charged condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/00 Selecting arrangements for multiplex systems multiplex systems H04J
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A rechargeable battery pack includes a housing, a rechargeable battery, a first inductive coil, a second inductive coil, and electrical circuitry. The first inductive coil is proximate a first surface of the housing and configured for wirelessly receiving electrical power from an external power source. The electrical circuitry stores the received electrical power in the rechargeable battery. The second inductive coil is proximate a second surface of the housing. The second inductive coil is configured for wirelessly transmitting at least a portion of the received electrical power stored in the rechargeable battery to the electronic device.

Claims

1. A rechargeable battery pack for use with an electronic device having wireless charging features, the rechargeable battery pack comprising:

a housing having at least a first surface and a second surface;

one or more rechargeable batteries;

a first inductive coil proximate the first surface of the housing, the first inductive coil configured for wirelessly receiving electrical power from an external power source;

electrical circuitry for storing the received electrical power in the one or more rechargeable batteries; and

a second inductive coil proximate the second surface of the housing, the second inductive coil configured for wirelessly transmitting at least a portion of the received electrical power stored in the one or more rechargeable batteries to the electronic device.

2. The rechargeable battery pack of claim 1 wherein wirelessly receiving the electrical power includes receiving the electrical power through inductive coupling with an inductive coil associated with the external power source.

3. The rechargeable battery pack of claim 1 wherein wirelessly transmitting the electrical power includes transmitting the electrical power using inductive coupling.

4. The rechargeable battery pack of claim 1 wherein wirelessly receiving the electrical power includes receiving the electrical power through resonant inductive coupling with an inductive coil associated with the external power source.

5. The rechargeable battery pack of claim 1 wherein wirelessly transmitting the electrical power includes transmitting the electrical power using resonant inductive coupling.

6. The rechargeable battery pack of claim 1 further comprising a first electrical interface containing first electrical contacts for alternately receiving the electrical power from the external power source through a first cable electrically connected between the first electrical contacts of the first electrical interface and the external power source.

7. The rechargeable battery pack of claim 6 further comprising a second electrical interface containing second electrical contacts for alternately transmitting the portion of the received electrical power stored in the one or more rechargeable batteries to the electronic device through a second cable electrically connected between the second electrical contacts of the second electrical interface and the electronic device.

8. The rechargeable battery pack of claim 1 further comprising one or more alignment indicators, wherein the one or more alignment indicators are controlled by the electrical circuitry to provide visual indications of suggested positioning adjustments for the electronic device relative to the second inductive coil to improve an efficiency of the wireless transmission of the electrical power.

9. The rechargeable battery pack of claim 8 wherein the one or more alignment indicators comprises four light emitting diodes (LEDs), each of the four LEDs proximate the second surface of the housing and each respectively associated with a direction relative to the housing, wherein the directions have approximately ninety degree relationships to each other in a plane that is approximately parallel to the second surface.

10. The rechargeable battery pack of claim 8 wherein the electrical circuitry determines the suggested positioning adjustments based on a detected rate at which the electrical power is being wirelessly transmitted from the one or more rechargeable batteries to the electronic device.

11. The rechargeable battery pack of claim 1 wherein the electrical circuitry is further configured for performing date communications with one or more of the electronic device and the external power source.

12. The rechargeable battery pack of claim 11 wherein the charge status is determined based on a ratio of a current charge level of the one or more batteries and a total charge capacity of the one or more batteries.

13. The rechargeable battery pack of claim 1 wherein the housing is waterproof and protects the electrical circuitry, the first inductive coil, the second inductive coil, and the rechargeable batteries from water or moisture.

14. The rechargeable battery pack of claim 1 further comprising a wireless communication module for wirelessly communicating data to one or more of the electronic device and the external power source.

15. A portable rechargeable power pack for charging electronic devices, the portable rechargeable power pack comprising:

a protective shell;

a rechargeable power cell in the protective shell;

a first electrical coil inside the protective shell and proximate a first surface of the protective shell for inductively receiving electrical power from an external electrical power source;

a power management circuit configured to receive the electrical power from the first electrical coil and to store the electrical power in the rechargeable power cell;

a second electrical coil inside the protective shell and proximate a second surface of the for inductively transferring a portion of the electrical power stored in the rechargeable power cell to a receiving device that is external to the housing; and

a wireless communication module for exchanging data communications with the receiving device for controlling the transfer of the electrical power to the receiving device.

16. The portable rechargeable power pack of claim 15 wherein the protective shell is waterproof.

17. The portable rechargeable power pack of claim 15 wherein one or more of the inductively receiving and the inductively transferring include magnetic resonant coupling.

18. The portable rechargeable power pack of claim 15 wherein the wireless communication module includes a Bluetooth Low Energy wireless transceiver.

19. A rechargeable battery pack comprising:

a housing;

a wireless communication module inside the housing;

a rechargeable battery inside the housing;

an inductive electrical coil inside the housing; and

electrical circuitry electrically connected to the rechargeable battery, the inductive electrical coil, and the wireless communication module, the electrical circuitry configured to;

in a first time period, receive electrical power from an external power source, wherein the electrical power is inductively coupled from the external power source to the inductive electrical coil through the housing, and store the received electrical power in the rechargeable battery; and

in a second time period, receive a communication from an external electronic device at the wireless communication module and inductively couple at least a portion of the stored electrical power to the external electronic device through the housing using the inductive electrical coil in response to receiving the communication.

20. The rechargeable battery pack of claim 19 wherein the communication and the inductive coupling of the electrical power to the external electronic device are performed in compliance with an industry standard for wireless charging.