76627results about "Secondary cells" patented technology

In a method of charging a battery pack, the pack is inserted in a charger and an initial set of checks of cell voltage and pack temperature is performed. Once the initial set of checks is satisfied, the cells may be charged at a first constant current level. The first constant current level is adjusted to one or more lower levels of constant current until cell voltages of all the cells are within a full charge voltage window. The voltage window is defined between a minimum full charge cell voltage level and a maximum full charge cell voltage level. The charge may be terminated once all of the cells are within the full charge voltage window.

An internal component arrangement within a battery pack housing having multiple cells and adapted for cordless power tools may provide desired mechanical support to constrain the cells. The housing with internal component arrangement is configured to route sensing wires from the cells to an electronics module of the pack.

A network of collection, charging and distribution machines collect, charge and distribute portable electrical energy storage devices (e.g., batteries, supercapacitors or ultracapacitors). To avoid theft and tampering of the portable electrical energy storage devices, by default, each portable electrical energy storage device is locked in and operably connected to the vehicle to which it provides power unless the vehicle comes within the vicinity of a collection, charging and distribution machine or other authorized external device such as that in a service center. Once within the vicinity of a collection, charging and distribution machine or other authorized external device a locking mechanism in the vehicle or within the portable electrical energy storage device unlocks and allows the portable electrical energy storage device to be exchanged or serviced.

Systems and methods are provided that use a mobile robotic device to transport rechargeable batteries between a base station, which charges the batteries, and a battery operated device, such as battery powered kiosk or signage system, which uses a charged battery as a power source. After traveling to a battery operated device, the mobile robotic device removes any discharged batteries from the battery operated device and installs a charged battery. The mobile robotic device then travels to the base station and attaches the discharged battery to the base station for recharging. The mobile robotic device may be configured to perform other transfers, such as data transfers and paper transfers. In addition, the mobile robotic device may be configured to perform a photographic and spatial survey of the isles, retail shelves, and surrounding environment for various purposes, such as generating three-dimensional store models and remote viewing.

To provide a power storage device, an operation condition of which is easily analyzed. A secondary battery includes a sensor that is a measurement unit, a microcontroller unit that is a determination unit, and a memory that is a memory unit. With the sensor, conditions of the secondary battery such as the remaining battery power, the voltage, the current, and the temperature are measured. The microcontroller unit performs arithmetic processing of the measurement results and determines the operation condition of the secondary battery. Further, the microcontroller unit stores the measurement result in the memory in accordance with the operation condition of the secondary battery.

An end effector includes first and second jaw members moveable relative to one another. Each of the first and second jaw members including a tissue contacting surface opposing the tissue contacting surface of the other jaw member. The end effector includes a detection assembly that is disposed within the first or second jaw member that is configured to detect an attribute of tissue between the first and second jaw members. The detection assembly may include a light source configured to emit light towards tissue between the first and second jaw members or may include an ultrasound transducer configured to emit ultrasound energy towards tissue between the first and second jaw members.

A surgical stapler includes a handle assembly, an end effector, a firing rod disposed in mechanical cooperation with the end effector, a drive motor coupled to the firing rod, a sensor, and a controller. The end effector includes a first and second jaw member moveable relative to one another. The first jaw member includes a surgical fastener and the second jaw member includes an anvil. The drive motor is configured to advance the firing rod to cause the first and second jaw members to clamp tissue and to eject a surgical fastener. The surgical stapler includes a sensor that is configured measure a clamping force exerted on tissue by the first and second jaw members. The controller control a speed of the drive motor based on the measured clamping force.

A powered surgical stapler is disclosed. The stapler includes a housing, an endoscopic portion extending distally from the housing and defining a first longitudinal axis, a drive motor disposed at least partially within a housing and a firing rod disposed in mechanical cooperation with the drive motor. The firing rod is rotatable by the motor about the first longitudinal axis extending therethrough. The stapler also includes an end effector disposed adjacent a distal portion of the endoscopic portion. The end effector is in mechanical cooperation with the firing rod so that the firing rod drives a surgical function of the end effector. The stapler further includes a control system having a plurality of sensors coupled to the drive motor, the firing rod, the loading unit and the end effector, the plurality of sensors configured to detect operating parameters thereof. The control system also includes a microcontroller coupled to the plurality of sensors and being configured to determine operating status of the powered surgical stapler as a function of the detected operating parameters.

A power reception device transmits authentication information (e.g., start code, manufacturer ID, product ID, rated power information, and resonance characteristic information) to a power transmission device before starting normal power transmission by a non-contact power transmission system. The power transmission device performs instrument authentication based on the received authentication information, and regulates the maximum transmission power is regulated to conform to a power-reception-device side rated power. The power transmission device then performs normal power transmission.

A device and method for rated voltage detection and charging of electric batteries. The method comprises the steps of measuring a terminal voltage of the battery having first or second rated voltages, comparing the terminal voltage to a number of threshold voltages between a minimum threshold voltage and a maximum threshold voltage, determining a condition of the battery, which can be ready to charge or fault, based on a comparison of the terminal voltage to the threshold voltages, determining that the rated voltage of the electric battery is the second rated voltage if the determined condition of the electric battery is ready to charge, conducting a pre-charge process if the determined condition of the battery is neither ready to charge nor fault, determining the rated voltage of the electric battery based on a response to the pre-charge process, and charging the electric battery according to the determined rated voltage.

A method for operating a surgical instrument includes mechanically coupling a manual release to a transmission of a surgical instrument having a self-contained power supply disposed entirely within a handle thereof. The transmission translates movement of an electrically powered motor inside the handle to movement of a part of a surgical end effector connected to the handle. The part is operable to move anywhere between a start position and a fully actuated position. The method further includes selectively interrupting the transmission with the manual release to move the part towards the start position independent of motor operation.

An end effector includes first and second jaw members moveable relative to one another. Each of the first and second jaw members including a tissue contacting surface opposing the tissue contacting surface of the other jaw member. The end effector includes a detection assembly that is disposed within the first or second jaw member that is configured to detect an attribute of tissue between the first and second jaw members. The detection assembly may include a light source configured to emit light towards tissue between the first and second jaw members or may include an ultrasound transducer configured to emit ultrasound energy towards tissue between the first and second jaw members.

A solid nanocomposite particle composition for lithium metal or lithium ion battery electrode applications. The composition comprises: (A) an electrode active material in a form of fine particles, rods, wires, fibers, or tubes with a dimension smaller than 1 μm; (B) nano graphene platelets (NGPs); and (C) a protective matrix material reinforced by the NGPs; wherein the graphene platelets and the electrode active material are dispersed in the matrix material and the NGPs occupy a weight fraction wg of 1% to 90% of the total nanocomposite weight, the electrode active material occupies a weight fraction wa of 1% to 90% of the total nanocomposite weight, and the matrix material occupies a weight fraction wm of at least 2% of the total nanocomposite weight with wg+wa+wm=1. For a lithium ion battery anode application, the matrix material is preferably amorphous carbon, polymeric carbon, or meso-phase carbon. Such a solid nanocomposite composition provides a high anode capacity and good cycling stability. For a cathode application, the resulting lithium metal or lithium ion battery exhibits an exceptionally high cycle life.

There is provided a planar inductive battery charging system designed to enable electronic devices to be recharged. The system includes a planar charging module having a charging surface on which a device to be recharged is placed. Within the charging module and parallel to the charging surface is at least one and preferably an array of primary windings that couple energy inductively to a secondary winding formed in the device to be recharged. The invention also provides secondary modules that allow the system to be used with conventional electronic devices not formed with secondary windings.

There is disclosed a system and method for transferring power without requiring direct electrical conductive contacts. There is provided a primary unit having a power supply and a substantially laminar charging surface having at least one conductor that generates an electromagnetic field when a current flows therethrough and having an charging area defined within a perimeter of the surface, the at least one conductor being arranged such that electromagnetic field lines generated by the at least one conductor are substantially parallel to the plane of the surface or at least subtend an angle of 45° or less to the surface within the charging area; and at least one secondary device including at least one conductor that may be wound about a core. Because the electromagnetic field is spread over the charging area and is generally parallel or near-parallel thereto, coupling with flat secondary devices such as mobile telephones and the like is significantly improved in various orientations thereof.

The present invention provides a nano-scaled graphene platelet-based composite material composition for use as an electrode, particularly as an anode of a lithium ion battery. The composition comprises: (a) micron- or nanometer-scaled particles or coating which are capable of absorbing and desorbing lithium ions; and (b) a plurality of nano-scaled graphene platelets (NGPs), wherein a platelet comprises a graphene sheet or a stack of graphene sheets having a platelet thickness less than 100 nm; wherein at least one of the particles or coating is physically attached or chemically bonded to at least one of the graphene platelets and the amount of platelets is in the range of 2% to 90% by weight and the amount of particles or coating in the range of 98% to 10% by weight. Also provided is a lithium secondary battery comprising such a negative electrode (anode). The battery exhibits an exceptional specific capacity, an excellent reversible capacity, and a long cycle life.

A system and method is provided for the inductive transfer of electric power between a substantially flat primary surface and a multitude of secondary devices in such a way that the power transfer is localized to the vicinities of individual device coils. The contact free power transfer does not require precise physical alignment between the primary surface and the secondary device and can allow the secondary device or devices to be placed anywhere and in arbitrary orientation with respect to the primary surface. Such power transfer is realized without the need of complex high frequency power switching network to turn the individual primary coils on or off and is completely scalable to almost arbitrary size. The local anti-resonance architecture of the primary device will block primary current from flowing when no secondary device or devices are in proximity to the local RF power network. The presence of a tuned secondary device detunes the local anti-resonance on the primary surface; thereby enable the RF power to be transferred from the local primary coils to the secondary device. The uniformity of the inductive coupling between the active primary surface and the secondary devices is improved with a novel multi-pole driving technique which produces an apparent traveling wave pattern across the primary surface.