Adjustable Battery Compartments for Emergency USB Power
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Solution Overview
Problem
During emergencies or power outages, there is a challenge in charging electronic devices like cell phones, as traditional charging methods are unavailable and existing portable charging devices require prior charging.
Innovation Solution
A power supplying device with adjustable battery compartments that can accommodate multiple battery sizes, an intelligent power management system, and a step-down voltage converter to convert battery power into a standard voltage for charging electronic devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If portable charging devices are used, then electronic devices can be charged during emergencies, but these devices must be charged ahead of emergencies which limits their availability
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically detects batteries in compartments, senses their voltages, and intelligently connects appropriate batteries to the power delivery port without user intervention. The intelligent power management system handles the entire process of selecting and connecting power sources, making the system self-sufficient and eliminating the need for users to manually charge or configure the device before emergencies.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery compartments are designed to accommodate multiple battery sizes (AA, AAA, C, D, 9V) and the system can work with various types of batteries simultaneously. This multi-functionality allows the device to serve as a universal power supply that can be prepared in advance with any available batteries and will function during emergencies without requiring specific pre-charging procedures.
2Device complexity
If fixed battery compartments are used, then the structure is simple, but the device can only accommodate one battery size which reduces versatility
Solution Approach 1:
The battery compartments incorporate adjustable leads with sliding contacts that can dynamically reposition to make contact with batteries of different sizes. The second lead in each compartment is designed to slide along a guide rail, allowing the electrical contact point to adapt to the length of the inserted battery while maintaining a simple fixed compartment structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery compartment is divided into fixed and adjustable components. The fixed portion provides structural simplicity and stability, while the adjustable lead portion provides the necessary adaptability. This segmentation allows the system to maintain structural simplicity while achieving versatility in accommodating different battery sizes.
3Power
If multiple batteries are connected in parallel to increase current capacity, then more power is available, but the voltage may become unstable or incompatible with standard devices
Solution Approach 1:
The system includes a step-down voltage converter that actively adjusts and stabilizes the output voltage parameters regardless of how batteries are connected or their individual states. The converter ensures the output voltage remains within the standard operating range (5V USB standard) even when batteries are connected in various configurations, providing stable and compatible power output.
Solution Approach 2:
The intelligent power management system continuously monitors the voltage and current from connected batteries and uses this feedback information to control the step-down converter. The system senses the available voltage from each battery and adjusts the power delivery accordingly, ensuring stable output voltage while maximizing the available current capacity from the battery configuration.
4Ease of operation
If an intelligent power management system is added to automatically manage batteries, then ease of use is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical switching systems with electronic control. The intelligent power management system uses electronic sensing and control circuits to automatically detect batteries, sense voltages, and control power delivery through electronic switches and a step-down converter, rather than requiring complex mechanical relay systems or manual user intervention.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device effectively utilizes untapped power from standard batteries to charge electronic devices, ensuring a reliable power source during emergencies, and can adapt to different power requirements and battery capacities.
Implementation Method 1
a step-down voltage converter configured to convert an input voltage received from the one or more batteries in the plurality of battery compartments to a predetermined output voltage for the power delivery port
Data Source
AI summary
A power supplying device that can be used during emergencies is disclosed. The device comprises multiple adjustable battery compartments that can be connected, via switches, to deliver power to an external device connected to at least one power delivery port of the power supplying device. Each adjustable battery compartment includes a fixed lead and a sliding lead so that the multiple different battery sizes can be inserted into the compartment and connected to the device. The device includes an intelligent power management system that can automatically detect power requirements for the external device as well as the maximum available voltage from any batteries inserted into the adjustable battery compartments. Using this information the intelligent power management system can open switches to provide the required voltage from a selected subset of batteries in the device, while leaving the remaining batteries disconnected.