| Apparatus and method for generating and storing energy in a portable energy storage device and using the stored energy to extend internal battery life -> Monitor Keywords |
|
|
  Apparatus and method for generating and storing energy in a portable energy storage device and using the stored energy to extend internal battery lifeUSPTO Application #: 20070220773Title: Apparatus and method for generating and storing energy in a portable energy storage device and using the stored energy to extend internal battery life Abstract: A portable energy storage device that can be brought to a desired operating condition (such as temperature) using an external power source to save the power in internal power cell and, when the external power source is disconnected from device to make it portable, the internal power cell of the device automatically provides output power to the load that is regulated by a pulse time modulation control circuit that senses the desired operating condition and provides power pulses to the load sufficient only to maintain the desired operating condition thus extending the life of the internal power cell in the portable device. (end of abstract) Agent: Walter R. Evanyk - Plano, TX, US Inventors: Walter R. Evanyk, Timothy William Long USPTO Applicaton #: 20070220773 - Class: 034096000 (USPTO) The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070220773. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates in general to portable energy storage devices such as, for example only, heat generating elements. In particular, the invention relates to a hair curler, a hair straightener, a flat clothes iron, or any other such device for storing energy comprising a rotating flywheel, a light source, or the like. The energy storage device uses an external power source to bring the device to a desired operating condition thereby conserving internal battery power and to simultaneously charge internal batteries during the time that the device is placed in a base unit. When the device is removed from the base unit, the internally located batteries automatically provide energy to the heating element to make the device portable. A Pulse Time Modulation circuit regulates the battery power output at a level sufficient only to replace power losses in the device, again extending the life of the internal batteries. [0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art [0004] In commonly assigned, copending patent application Ser. No. 11/094,000, entitled Portable Energy Consuming Device, and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, there is disclosed an energy storage device such as a hair curler, a flat iron, a light source, or a rotating mass. [0005] The device sits in a base unit when not in use. The base unit is connected to an external power source for applying power to the device to pre-energize the device to a predetermined level. For example, if the device is a curling iron, the external power, when the device is placed in the base unit, preheats the heating element to a predetermined temperature. The heating element of the device may be an AC heating element (in which case the external power source is a conventional wall socket providing AC power for preheating the device) or a DC heating element (in which case the external AC power source is rectified to a DC voltage that is used for preheating the device). [0006] If an AC heating element is provided for preheating the device, a second DC heating element is located adjacent the AC heating element (which also preheats the DC heating element) and when the device is removed from the base unit, an internal DC power source is automatically connected to the DC heating element to maintain the existing preheat value. [0007] Obviously the use of an external power source to pre-energize the device to a predetermined level (e.g. a predetermined temperature) extends the life of the internal batteries since the battery power is not expended in pre-energizing the device to the predetermined level. Such a system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,664,516 which uses a PTC (positive temperature coefficient) thermistor that enables a high current to be provided to the heating element initially. However, as the time of application of the voltage increases, the electric current will decrease sharply until it reaches a low level whereupon it will remain relatively constant. Thus, power applied to the load is regulated by the PTC element serving as the load. [0008] A device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,857,702 that utilizes an external power source to recharge the internal batteries. This device requires the use of an AC wall socket plug that is pivotally mounted in the side of the device handle. When the plug is pivoted outwardly, it forms connections internally of the device to recharge the batteries. If the device is unplugged from the wall socket and the AC wall socket plug is pivoted inwardly of the body or handle, it provides internal connections that allow the charged batteries to heat the heating element. It will be seen that the battery cannot be charged while the heating element is being heated and the heating element cannot be heated while the battery is being charged. [0009] As stated above, these devices prolong the life of the internal batteries by preheating the element with an external power source and, thus, saving the battery energy for simply supplying power to the heating element to maintain its heat. [0010] As recognized in copending, commonly assigned, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/094,729, incorporated herein in its entirety by reference, an energy consuming device operates according to the well known equation P.sub.O=P.sub.IN-P.sub.L (1) where P.sub.O=Power output, P.sub.IN=Power input, and P.sub.L=Power losses associated with the device. [0011] However, if the device is an energy storage device, when the energy storage device reaches its operating condition (e.g. desired temperature, rotational speed, momentum, and the like), residual power, P.sub.R becomes a factor in equation (1) above which becomes P.sub.o=P.sub.in-P.sub.L+P.sub.R (2) where P.sub.R=Residual Power and where "Residual Power" or "Residual Energy" is defined as "residual heat", "rotational energy", "mass momentum", "linear motion", "dynamic energy", or any other term representing "potential energy" or "kinetic energy" in a device that is stored by the applied power. The residual power or a energy can be used to conserve energy used by such a device. [0012] It can be seen in equation (2) that if P.sub.IN is reduced to equal P.sub.L, then the residual power, P.sub.R, is sufficient to maintain the desired output power, P.sub.O. If the residual power, P.sub.R, is small, such as with a small electrical motor, because of low inertia and mass, only a small amount of energy can be conserved. [0013] In particular, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing a portable energy storage and consuming device that has an external power source to cause the device to reach its desired operating condition (set forth above), an internal power supply for supplying power to the load of the portable device only when the external power source is disconnected, and a pulse time modulation device coupled between the internal battery or energy cell and the energy consuming and storing load to obtain a desired output power, P.sub.O, from the electrical load by simply supplying sufficient pulse time modulated energy, P.sub.IN, to the load to replace only load losses, P.sub.L, and to maintain only the residual power, P.sub.R, thus maintaining the desired power output, P.sub.O, and thereby conserving input energy, P.sub.IN, that would otherwise be wasted. [0014] It is known to manually adjust input power to maintain a desired load. A circuit that is manually controlled to set a desired temperature is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,449,870 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,718,651. [0015] Also, there are soldering devices that have a control circuit that shuts the power to the tip OFF when a certain temperature is reached and then turns the power ON again when the temperature falls below a desired temperature level. While it is done automatically, the power is not continuously regulated by a circuit that automatically varies the rate of pulsed (Pulse Time Modulation) power applied to the load to continuously maintain a desired operating condition such as temperature. [0016] For a rotating energy storage device, such as a wheel, motor, and the like, when input power to the rotating device is removed, the motor or wheel continues to rotate by means of stored energy until frictional energy (power losses) completely expends the stored energy (residual power). [0017] One circuit for manually providing input power, P.sub.IN, in an amount equal to the power losses, P.sub.L, is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/055,235, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. [0018] It would be very desirable to have an improved device that provides continuous externally supplied electrical input power to an electrical energy storage device until the device reached its selected desired operating condition as long as the device is placed on a base unit during which time the internal batteries are charged and recharged. After the desired operating condition is reached (e.g. desired temperature), the device can be made portable by removing the device from its base by which action internally located batteries are automatically coupled to a heating element to continue to supply power to the device. An included novel circuit in the device then automatically reduces the input power from the batteries to the load (with the use of Pulse Time Modulation controlled by a feedback circuit) to an amount sufficient only to replace power losses to maintain just the residual power thus maintaining the desired power output with a minimum of power input thereby prolonging the battery life. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0019] Thus, the present invention relates to an improved portable energy storage device (such as a hair curler and/or a hot air brush, flat iron, rotating mass, and the like) that utilizes an external power source to cause the device reach its desired operating condition (e.g. temperature, speed, momentum, and the like) and then utilizes internal batteries with a regulated pulse time modulated output as a power source providing sufficient power only to replace power losses, P.sub.L, and to make the device portable. [0020] As used herein, the term "external power source" means any one of AC, DC, RF energy, magnetically coupled energy, and the like. Hereafter, for simplicity, the term will be identified as simply AC or DC. The energy consuming device, when a temperature controlled device, may have either a single heating element for accepting an external DC power source output for preheating as well as the internal power source (at least one battery) output to maintain the desired operating level or an AC heating element for connection to an external AC power source to obtain the desired operating level and a separate DC heating element for connection to the internal power source to maintain the desired operating level. [0021] With the present invention, an electrical energy storage device is brought to its desired operation condition by applying full input power, P.sub.IN, from an external power source as explained earlier until the desired operating condition is reached. Thus, the device is caused to store the desired potential energy without using the internal batteries (i.e. extending the battery life). At that point, the input power, P.sub.IN, is automatically reduced with the novel Pulse Time Modulation circuit disclosed in commonly assigned copending patent application Ser. No. 11/094,729, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, to the amount of power losses, P.sub.L, occurring in the device and thus enables the residual power or energy, P.sub.R, that is stored in the device to substantially equal the desired output power, P.sub.O. [0022] This is accomplished by providing a feedback circuit representing the desired operating condition of the energy storage device (i.e. temperature, rotational speed, light brightness, and the like) and generating a signal representative of the instantaneous value of the desired operating condition. That generated feedback signal is coupled as one input to a comparator. The other input is a variable time based electrical reference signal such as, for example only, a sawtooth reference waveform. When the feedback signal is less in amplitude than any portion of the sawtooth reference waveform, the output of the comparator is a pulse time modulated signal (PTM) that is coupled to, and actuates an electronic switch such as a power FET. The electrical load receives power from the power input source only when the electronic switch is actuated. The pulse time modulated signal is coupled to the gate of the electronic switch to automatically switch it ON and OFF at a rate sufficient to supply just enough power to the load to replace power losses (e.g. cooling in a heat storage device) and thus maintains the desired operating condition as determined by the feedback signal. Continue reading... Full patent description for Apparatus and method for generating and storing energy in a portable energy storage device and using the stored energy to extend internal battery life Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Apparatus and method for generating and storing energy in a portable energy storage device and using the stored energy to extend internal battery life patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Apparatus and method for generating and storing energy in a portable energy storage device and using the stored energy to extend internal battery life or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Table saw having a measurement and display system Next Patent Application: Hair dryer Industry Class: Drying and gas or vapor contact with solids ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Apparatus and method for generating and storing energy in a portable energy storage device and using the stored energy to extend internal battery life patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 2.95893 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Accenture , Agouron Pharmaceuticals , Amgen , AT&T , Bausch & Lomb , Callaway Golf |
||
