Battery and charging system using the same

• US 9,246,339 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2012
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cloud Network Technology Singapore Pte. Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Chang, Ping-Chun
• Primary Examiner(s): Fantu, Yalkew
• Application Number:
  US13/707,951
• Publication Number:
  US 20140111149A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: 320/108
• 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 10/441 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4278 Systems for data transfer from batteries, e.g. transfer of battery parameters to a controller, data transferred between battery controller and main controller
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/001 Energy harvesting or scavenging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/025 using non-contact coupling, e.g. inductive, capacitive
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery includes a wireless unit, a battery unit, a charging unit, and a control unit. The wireless unit is configured to capture electromagnetic wave in the air. The charging unit is configured to convert the electromagnetic wave captured by the wireless unit to the charging current, and provide the charging current to the battery unit to charge the battery unit. The control unit is configured to detect a parameter value of the battery unit, control the wireless unit to capture the electromagnetic wave according to the parameter value of the battery unit, and further control the charging unit to convert the electromagnetic wave captured by the wireless unit to the charging current to charge the battery unit.

Claims

1. A battery comprising:

a wireless unit configured to capture electromagnetic wave in the air;

a battery unit;

a charging unit configured to convert the electromagnetic wave, captured by the wireless unit to charging current, and provide the charging current to the battery unit, to charge the battery unit;

a first positioning unit configured to determine a geographical position of the battery; and

a control unit configured to detect a parameter value of the battery unit, obtain the geographical position from the first positioning unit, generate the charging signal including the geographical position, and control the wireless unit to transmit the charging signal including the geographical position and capture the electromagnetic wave according to the parameter value of the battery unit, and further control the charging unit to convert the electromagnetic wave captured by the wireless unit to the charging current to charge the battery unit.

2. The battery as described in claim 1, further comprising a coupling unit connected between the control unit and a wire, wherein the coupling unit is configured to convert the parameter value of the battery unit to parameter signal and output the parameter signal to an electronic device connected to the battery through the wire.

3. The battery as described in claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to determine whether the parameter value of the battery unit is less than a first predetermined parameter value;

and when the parameter value of the battery unit is less than the first predetermined parameter value, the control unit is configured to obtain the geographical position of the battery from the first positioning unit, generate a charging signal comprising the geographical position of the battery, and control the wireless unit to transmit the charging signal comprising the geographical position of the battery to an energy supply.

4. The battery as described in claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to determine whether the parameter value of the battery unit is less than a first predetermined parameter value;

when the parameter value of the battery unit is less than the first predetermined parameter value, the control unit is configured to determine whether the energy of the captured electromagnetic wave is greater than a predetermined energy value; and

when the energy of the electromagnetic wave captured by the wireless unit is greater than the predetermined energy value, the control unit is configured to control the charging unit to charge the battery unit.

5. The battery as described in claim 1, wherein the wireless unit further captures wireless signals, and the battery is configured to communicate with external electronic devices through the wireless unit.

6. The battery as described in claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to determine whether the parameter value of the battery unit is greater than a second predetermined parameter value;

and when the parameter value of the battery unit is greater than the second predetermined parameter value, the control unit is configured to determine that the battery unit has been fully charged and controls the wireless unit to stop capturing the electromagnetic wave in the air.

7. A charging system comprising:

an energy supply comprising;

a power interface connected to a mains supply to obtain a power from the mains supply;

an electromagnetic wave generating unit configured to convert the power obtained by the power interface to electromagnetic wave;

at least one emitting unit configured to emit the electromagnetic wave converted by the electromagnetic wave generating unit to the air; and

a processor configured to control each of the at least one emitting unit to emit the electromagnetic wave converted by the electromagnetic wave generating unit to the air; and

at least one battery, each of the at least one battery comprising;

a wireless unit configured to capture the electromagnetic wave in the air;

a battery unit;

a charging unit configured to convert the electromagnetic wave captured by the wireless unit to charging current, and provide the charging current to the battery unit to charge the battery unit; and

a control unit configured to detect a parameter value of the battery unit, control the wireless unit to capture the electromagnetic wave according to the parameter value of the battery unit, and further control the charging unit to convert the electromagnetic wave captured by the wireless unit to the charging current to charge the battery unit.

8. The charging system as described in claim 7, wherein each of the at least one battery further comprises a coupling unit connected between the control unit and a wire, to convert the parameter value of the battery unit to parameter signal and output the parameter signal to an electronic device connected to the battery through the wire.

9. The charging system as described in claim 7, wherein:

each of the at least one battery comprises a first positioning unit to determine a geographical position of the battery;

the energy supply comprises a second positioning unit and a communication unit, the second positioning unit is configured to determine a geographical position of the energy supply, the communication unit is configured to communicate with the wireless unit of the battery;

the control unit is configured to detect the parameter value of the battery unit in real time and determine whether the parameter value of the battery unit is less than a first predetermined parameter value in real time; and

when the parameter value of the battery unit is less than the first predetermined parameter value, the control unit is configured to obtain the geographical position of the battery from the first positioning unit, generate a charging signal comprising the geographical position of the battery, and control the wireless unit to transmit the charging signal comprising the geographical position of the battery to the communication unit of the energy supply; and

the processor is configured to obtain the geographical position of the battery from the charging signal, obtain the geographical position of the energy supply from the second positioning unit, determine an orientation of the battery relative to the energy supply according to the geographical position of the battery obtained from the charging signal and the geographical position of the energy supply, and control the at least one emitting unit to emit the electromagnetic wave toward the orientation determined by the processor.

10. The charging system as described in claim 7, wherein when the control unit determines that the parameter value of the battery unit is less than a first predetermined parameter value, the control unit is further configured to determine whether the energy of the electromagnetic wave captured by the wireless unit is greater than a predetermined energy value;

and when the energy of the electromagnetic wave captured by the wireless unit is greater than the predetermined energy value, the control unit is configured to control the wireless unit to capture the electromagnetic wave in the air and control the charging unit to convert the electromagnetic wave captured by the wireless unit to the charging current to charge the battery unit.

11. The charging system as described in claim 9, wherein:

during the operation of controlling the charging unit to charge the battery unit, each of the at least one control unit is configured to obtain the geographical position of the battery every predetermined time interval, generate a geographical position signal according to the geographical position of the battery, and control the wireless unit to transmit the geographical position signal to the communication unit of the energy supply;

the processor is configured to compare the geographical position of each of the at least one battery with a previous geographical position of each of the at least one battery to determine whether the geographical position of any one battery changes; and

when the geographical position of any one battery changes, the processor is configured to re-determine the orientation of the battery relative to the energy supply, and control the emitting unit to emit the electromagnetic wave toward the orientation as re-determined by the processor.

12. The charging system as described in claim 7, wherein:

during the operation of the controlling the charging unit to charge the battery unit, the control unit is further configured to determine whether the energy of the electromagnetic wave captured by the wireless unit is less than a predetermined energy value;

when the energy of the electromagnetic wave captured by the wireless unit is less than the predetermined energy value, the control unit is configured to control the wireless unit to stop capturing the electromagnetic wave in the air; and

when the energy of the electromagnetic wave captured by the wireless unit is greater than the predetermined energy value, the control unit is configured to control the wireless unit to continuously capture the electromagnetic wave in the air and control the charging unit to continuously charge the battery unit.

13. The charging system as described in claim 7, wherein the control unit is further configured to determine whether the parameter value of the battery unit is greater than a second predetermined parameter value;

and when the parameter value of the battery unit is greater than the second predetermined parameter value, the control unit is configured to determine that the battery unit has been fully charged and control the wireless unit to stop capturing the electromagnetic wave in the air.