Electricity: battery or capacitor charging or discharging – Battery or cell charging
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-18
2002-02-26
Wong, Peter S. (Department: 2838)
Electricity: battery or capacitor charging or discharging
Battery or cell charging
C323S224000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06351101
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This is a device that utilizes the physics of conservation of momentum to extract electrical energy from a circuit. More particularly, the present invention relates to specialized circuitry that conserves the net momentum of the free mobile electrons in a circuit to reflect the charge imputed to the circuit.
2. Present State of the Art
The present electrical circuits are designed and engineered around the principles of continuity of current and conservation of energy.
This invention is most applicable in the area of battery powered supplies prevalent and used in many different applications and in connection with a myriad of devices. Typically, such power supplies have a finite amount of power associated therewith due to their portable nature. Common examples include the types and varieties of batteries found in all sorts of consumer electronics, notebook computers, and event automobiles to name just a few applications.
A number of trade offs are associated with battery power and either forms of portable power supplies. An important trade-off to consider is the energy capacity of a power supply versus its size and weight. Usually, a higher capacity power supply will be larger and heavier than a lower capacity power supply. The added bulk and weight can be a significant disadvantage in the portable applications where such power supplies find their beneficial use.
A primary example is in the area of notebook computers. Notebook computers commonly derive their power from a rechargeable battery, such as a nickel-cadmium, nickel-hydride, or similar battery, when a source of line power is not available. Such notebook computers are carried by businessmen between office and home or between office and client sites, and can be used during travel on a commercial aircraft. With a portable computer as is generally true with all portable battery operated electronic devices, the consumer desires the longest possible battery life (operating times of a battery) in order to maximize the length of time the computer or other devices can be used between battery recharges. In other applications, wherein non-rechargeable batteries are used to provide power, the longest possible battery life is also important so as to get longer services from a battery before it has to be replaced. Consequently, much research and effort has been expended to maximize the effective service life or operating time of batteries. Heretofore, such efforts have been directed generally in two principles areas. First, major advances have been achieved by attempting to optimize the chemical compositions of the batteries themselves, thereby developing batteries with a greater energy density or storage capacity and, thus, a longer effective battery life.
The resulting developments and technology have continually increased the energy storage capacity of batteries so that more energy can be stored within a particular size and weight battery. However, all of these efforts are directed at developing a better battery design and do not provide a circuit that utilizes, more efficiently, energy available from a battery circuit thereby increasing the operating time of a given battery.
A second approach to increasing battery life has been to reduce the overall power consumption of a particular device so as to minimize the power demands placed on a battery. For example, notebook computers commonly include power management circuitry that turns off computer displays, hard drive motors, etc., when the computer has been inactive for a pre-determined period of time. Circuitry to reduce power to the microprocessor and other circuitry when inactive for a certain amount of time, display blanking circuitry for inactivity, development of semiconductor devices that require very little power to operate effectively, etc. However, this type of approach also introduces significant inconveniences to the user. Furthermore, many of the particular battery operated devices are not readily transferred from one device to the next.
Description of the Prior Art
Numerous electronic circuits have been developed to manage, conserve and prolong the energy in a given battery.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,998,886 discloses a Power Supply Apparatus Having a Function of Compensating for Changes in Voltage. This invention provides A.C. power from an A.C. generating circuit when a voltage-variation detecting circuit “detects” anomalies in the incoming voltage source. The purpose of this invention is to provide a constant A.C. voltage an output terminal whenever the input voltage varies, which will cause difficulties when the A.C. voltage anomalies, i.e. variations in voltage. It operates by charging a capacitor, and when an anomaly is detected by the voltage-variation detecting circuit, a timer circuit operates a switch causing the capacitor to discharge into an inverter which inverts the D.C. to A.C. and the output is coupled to the anomalous A.C. voltage from the initial source, stabilizing the output voltage.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,686,816 to Hayashi et al., describes a Charging Control Circuit. The basic premise of this patent is the circuitry needed to charge a portable telephone battery, of any type. The built in circuitry can detect which style of battery is inserted into the portable telephone. The charging circuits are also able to discern when the batteries have been fully charged. This patent is differentiated from the present invention in that the disclosed patent does not maximize the battery life by use of existing “reflected” charge, but only involves the charging of the batteries of the portable telephone.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,087 to Sibata et. al., discloses a power supply for hand-held electronic devices with volatile memory, which combines a battery, diode, and charging capacitor. While the device is on, the battery charges the capacitor. When the device is turned off, the supply voltage stored on the capacitor is compared with a reference voltage and the battery is automatically coupled to the boosting circuit for a pre-determined time whenever the supply voltage stored in the capacitor drops below the reference voltage.
This invention as disclosed does not extend battery life but in fact enhances the life of volatile RAM by using the charge stored in the circuit and intermittently turning on when the power source to the memory is less than the reference voltage.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,335 to Ludden et. al. Discloses a DC-to-DC converter which is operated using coupled inductor current sensing and predetermined on time so that optimum performance of a low level voltage D.C. power source and the converter is achieved. The circuit includes a switching means for selectively interrupting the current flow through the primary winding of the inductor.
The circuit also includes means for sensing the current in the secondary winding of the inductor and reactivating the switching means whenever the current in the secondary winding falls below a predetermined level.
The purpose of this invention as disclosed is to charge a capacitor used in an electronic photo-flash. The disclosed circuit provides optimum performance of the low voltage DC power source.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,237,897 to Beane et. al., discloses a battery life extender circuit for use in an implantable tissue simulator, which supplies a substantially constant voltage to volatile memory for a longer period of time by gradually reducing the amplitude of output pulses from the output circuit and directing current to the memory, thus keeping the volatile memory “alive” and not severely affecting the primary output pulses.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,130,780 to Ban et. al., discloses selective connection and disconnection of a battery from the load through the use of an electromechanical switching means which disconnects the battery from the charging circuit after a predetermined time interval.
The purpose of this invention as disclosed is to have a feature which will avoid wasteful consumption of stored energy, generally when a user neglects to discharge an electronic photoflash.
U.S. Pat. No.
Brande Lewis M.
Brande and McCleary
McCleary Thomas A.
Tibbits Pia
Wong Peter S.
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