8950results about "Home appliance efficiency improvement" patented technology

In an exemplary embodiment, a battery conditioning system monitors battery conditioning and includes a memory for storing data based thereon; for example, data may be stored representative of available battery capacity as measured during a deep discharge cycle. With a microprocessor monitoring battery operation of a portable unit, a measure of remaining battery capacity can be calculated and displayed. Where the microprocessor and battery conditioning system memory are permanently secured to the battery so as to receive operating power therefrom during storage and handling, the performance of a given battery in actual use can be accurately judged since the battery system can itself maintain a count of accumulated hours of use and other relevant parameters. In the case of a nonportable conditioning system, two-way communication may be established with a memory associated with the portable unit so that the portable unit can transmit to the conditioning system information concerning battery parameters (e.g. rated battery capacity) and/or battery usage (e.g. numbers of shallow discharge and recharge cycles), and after a conditioning operation, the conditioning system can transmit to the portable unit a measured value of battery capacity, for example. A battery pack having memory stores battery history and identifying data to be retrieved by a portable battery powered device. Battery status information may be utilized in conjunction with characteristic battery history data in order to optimize charging and discharging functions and to maximize the useful life of a battery pack.

A method and apparatus for efficiently charging lead-acid batteries applies small voltage steps to probe the charging efficiency of a battery being charged. The application of a voltage step causes the current to change from a base current to a surge current immediately after the voltage step, and to decay asymptotically to a plateau current after the surge current. A current ratio, defined as the difference between the plateau current and the base current divided by the difference between the surge current and the base current, is used as an indicator of the charging efficiency. The output voltage of the power supply charging the battery is then adjusted according to the measured current ratio. A current-voltage slope, defined as the difference between the plateau current and the base current divided by the magnitude of the voltage step, may also be used as an indicator of the charging efficiency for controlling the charging process. Alternatively, in a current-controlled charging process, small current steps are used to probe the charging efficiency. For a current step, the induced voltage changes are measured, and a transient-plateau voltage ratio is calculated. The charging current is then adjusted according to the calculated voltage ratio.

A method and system for efficiency compliance in a wireless battery charging system includes a wireless power source that provides a wireless charging power signal to devices in proximity to the wireless power source. The devices have a receiving coil to receive electrical energy from the wireless charging power signal, and they communicate battery charging metrics to the wireless power source. The wireless power source uses the battery charging metrics to determine a predicted system efficiency to charge the devices over a period of time, and when the predicted efficiency is below an efficiency standard, the wireless power source undertakes an action to improve system efficiency.

Even in a state in which the remaining capacity of a battery decreases, an apparatus operation is appropriately executed while charging efficiency of the battery is maintained.

A processing unit 103 has a first operation mode in which an operation is enabled using only external power from a feeding device 120 and a second operation mode in which the operation is enabled by feeding from a battery 102 in addition to the external power from the feeding device 120. When the remaining capacity of the battery 102 is sufficient, the processing unit 103 executes an apparatus operation in the second operation mode. However, when the remaining capacity of the battery 102 decreases, the processing unit 103 changes an operation mode to the first operation mode and executes charging of the battery 102 while continuously executing the apparatus operation.

A method of providing power to an electronic device in an energy-efficient manner includes transitioning between power states corresponding to charging and discharging a battery. The state of charge of the battery is detected. Upon detecting a high threshold state of charge, an external power source such as an AC-to-DC adapter is disabled, and the battery to provides primary power to the electronic device. Upon a low threshold state of charge, the AC-to-DC adapter is controlled to provide a high current output to charge the battery and provide primary power to the electronic device. The power states, when cycled over time based on the state of the battery, provide for an energy-efficient method of powering the electronic device.

An appliance for conditioning air of a room comprises one or more power consuming features/functions including a temperature controlling element for one of heating and cooling air. A controller is operatively connected to the one or more power consuming features/functions. The controller is configured to receive and process a signal indicative of a utility state. The controller operates the appliance in one of a plurality of operating modes, including at least a normal operating mode and an energy savings mode in response to the received signal. The controller is configured to at least one of selectively adjust and deactivate at least one of the one or more power consuming features/functions to reduce power consumption of the appliance in the energy savings mode.

An object is to provide a power storage device provided with a battery that is a power storage means, for safe and accurate supply of electric power in a short period of time for drive power supply voltage without checking remaining capacity of the battery or changing batteries with deterioration over time of the battery for drive power supply voltage. The power storage device is provided with a battery that is a power storage means as a power supply for supplying electric power and a counter circuit for counting charging time of the power storage means. An electromagnetic wave with electric field intensity, magnetic field intensity, and power flux density per unit time which are transmitted from a power feeder are controlled, and the power storage means is efficiently charged using the electromagnetic wave in a short period of time.

Food stuffs are cooked at precise temperatures, which are optionally below 100° C., in a vessel that is evacuated to exclude air, in which low pressure steam replaces the air. When a sufficient quantity of air is excluded and replaced with water vapor, the temperature of vapor is accurately measured inside the vessel below the lid to control the temperatures within about 1° C. Air is preferably excluded via a controlled heated process for a relatively short period of time at high temperature to generate steam, the temperature is lowered to condense water vapor upon which the lid will sealingly engage the rim of the vessel, forming a partial vacuum in the cooking vessel.

A household appliance system and method include an appliance control system having a common appliance interface provided on an appliance and a demand side management module connected to the common appliance interface. The module corresponds to one select utility of a plurality of utilities and is adapted to communicate with the one select utility of the plurality of utilities. The appliance control system operates the appliance based on communications with the one select utility through the module.

A voltage converter including a capacitive voltage divider combined with a buck converter and battery charger. The converter includes four capacitors, a switch circuit, an inductor and a controller. The capacitors form a capacitor loop between an input node and a reference node and include a fly capacitor controlled by the switch circuit, which is controlled by a PWM signal to half the input voltage to provide a first output voltage on a first output node, and to convert the first output voltage to the second output voltage via the inductor. The controller controls the PWM signal to regulate the second output voltage, and provides a voltage control signal to control the input voltage to maintain the first output node between a predetermined minimum and maximum battery voltage levels. A battery charge path is coupled to the reference node and battery charge mode depends upon the battery voltage.

A drum type laundry machine according to the invention is capable of efficiently supplying steam to laundry in a drum. When the steam is supplied into the drum 11, a blower 39 is rotated at a higher rotation speed than in a heat drying operation (e.g., 5200 rpm) to provide greater air blowing power. Further, a projection 36 provided in an air passage narrows the air passage, so that an air flow rate is increased in the vicinity of a cooling water supply port 34. Therefore, cooling water supplied into a first air passage 32 is finely disintegrated on air, and supplied to a heater 43 in a heater housing 42 through a second air passage 33 and a blower chamber 40. The cooling water is heated by the heater 43 to be evaporated into steam. The steam thus generated is borne on the air and supplied into the drum 11 from a blowing port 44 through an air inlet port 9f.

The present invention relates to a wireless power supply system including a remote device capable of both transmitting and receiving power wirelessly. The remote device includes a self-driven synchronous rectifier. The wireless power supply system may also include a wireless power supply configured to enter an OFF state in which no power, or substantially no power, is drawn, and to wake from the OFF state in response to receiving power from a remote device.

A washing machine having a drying function and a method for controlling the same. The washing machine includes a tub for containing wash water; a drum rotatably placed in the tub for containing laundry, and provided with through holes for circulating the wash water or air therethrough; a drying device provided with a circulation fan and a heater for drying the laundry in the drum; and a pumping device for pumping the wash water in the tub so that the wash water in the tub is circulated into the drum or heated by the air passing through the drying device, and is then circulated into the drum. The washing machine performs washing of laundry without any additional heater for heating the wash water, thereby having low production costs and a simple structure of the tub.

A wired/wireless charging apparatus capable of performing wired charging and wireless charging and a circuit are provided. The wired/wireless charging apparatus includes a body including a wired charging circuit for wired charging, a wireless charging circuit for wireless charging, and a battery mounting space a cover coupled with the body and including a transmission coil generating a magnetic field for the wireless charging, wherein the body and the cover including a contact unit for electrically connecting the transmission coil to the wireless charging circuit.

The present invention provides a clothing dryer which permits a stable operation of a heat pump generating drying air to be circulated between a drying chamber and the heat pump. An air circulation route is formed which delivers air heated by a heater 29 of a heat pump unit 20 to a water tank 3 to be a drying chamber, returns the air discharged from the water tank 3 to the heat pump unit 20 through a filter unit 60, dehumidifies in a heat absorber 28 and delivers again to the heater 29. The filter unit 60 is provided with a lint filter 61 and a duct communicating with an air outlet 46 and an air introduction opening 47 is formed. Since the air is discharged from the air outlet 46 and an external air is introduced from the air introduction opening 47 when the amount of heat accumulated in the air in the air circulation route increases, an excessive increase in the temperature and pressure of a refrigerant with an increase in the amount of accumulated heat can be suppressed, and overloading a compressor 27 can be restrained, whereby the heat pump is stably operated.

In a laundry washing/drying machine involving drying by a heat pump cycle, in an initial stage of the drying operation the heat within an air circulation path is deficient and therefore it is impossible to effect quick heating of air on a drum inlet side up to a sufficiently high temperature. According to the present invention there is provided a drying unit capable of raising the drum inlet air temperature quickly up to a sufficiently high temperature in an initial stage of the drying operation and thereby shortening the drying time. The drying unit includes a heat pump cycle device for performing a cycle of radiating, with use of a radiator, the heat of a refrigerant compressed by a compressor, passing the refrigerant through a pressure reducing/expansion valve, evaporating the refrigerant in an evaporator and compressing the refrigerant again by the compressor, an air circulation path for allowing air to be circulated by a blower in such a manner that air heated by the radiator is introduced into a drying chamber to dry the laundry, exhaust air discharged from the drying chamber is passed through the evaporator, then is heated again by the radiator and the air thus dehumidified is circulated by the blower, and an external heat source applying device for applying the heat of an external heat source to the evaporator to quicken the rise in temperature of the air in an initial stage of the drying operation.

The invention provides a water-saving drum washing machine comprising an outer drum, an inner drum disposed in the outer drum and a water inlet pipeline communicating with the inner drum. The inner drum and the outer drum are installed on a central shaft coaxially. The inner drum is a holeless inner drum. The inner wall of the inner drum is provided with a plurality of lifting devices; the central shaft is internally provided with a hollow structure; the water inlet pipeline and the lifting devices communicate with the hollow structure. The lifting devices are provided with a plurality of water outlets. The technical objective of saving water is mainly achieved by using the holeless inner drum and making the space between the inner drum and the outer drum free of water in a washing process. Since the holeless inner drum is used, the structure of the water-saving washing machine is redesigned for water feeding and water drainage of the washing machine; further a water feeding and drainage system, a washing and spinning system and an airing drying and drying system are improved.