Animated Battery Charging Dock with Cooling Fan
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional battery chargers lack an animated indication of the power level during charging, often overcharge or undercharge batteries, and fail to provide cooling, leading to potential damage or explosion risks, especially in unattended charging situations.
Innovation Solution
An animated battery charging assembly that includes a charging dock with a model that articulates, illuminates, and emits audio signals in correlation to the battery's power level, integrated with a fan for cooling and software to regulate the animation, ensuring proper charging and preventing overcharging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional constant voltage chargers are used, then charging is simple and fast, but batteries are overcharged or undercharged depending on age, temperature, and charge level
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs feedback mechanisms through animated indicators that provide real-time visual information about battery charge status. The animated model and lighting system respond to charging progress, allowing users to monitor and adjust charging based on actual battery state, thereby preventing overcharging and undercharging while maintaining efficient charging rates.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces conventional static mechanical charging indicators with animated electronic displays that dynamically respond to charging conditions. This substitution enables more sophisticated monitoring and control of charging parameters without compromising charging speed, as the animated system can process and respond to multiple charging state variables simultaneously.
2Ease of operation
If battery charging is left unattended, then convenience is improved, but battery overcharging damage or explosion risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service charging monitoring through animated indicators that automatically track and display battery charge status without user intervention. The system autonomously monitors charging progress and provides continuous visual feedback, enabling users to leave charging unattended while maintaining awareness of battery state and preventing overcharging through observable indicators.
Solution Approach 2:
The animated indicator system serves as an intermediary between the battery and user, providing continuous visual communication about charging status. This intermediary enables unattended charging by translating complex battery state information into simple, observable animated cues that alert users to charging completion or abnormal conditions without requiring direct monitoring.
3Device complexity
If no cooling is provided during charging, then device simplicity is maintained, but heat accumulation may cause damage or safety issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses color changes in the animated lighting system to indicate temperature and charging status. Different colors or lighting intensities signal thermal conditions, allowing the system to monitor heat accumulation without adding separate cooling mechanisms. This maintains device simplicity while providing heat awareness through the existing animated indicator infrastructure.
4Loss of information
If animated indicators are added to show power level, then user awareness of charge status is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the charging indicator system with the charging circuitry itself, using the same power supply and control infrastructure to drive both the charging process and the animated indicators. This integration minimizes additional complexity by combining multiple functions into shared system components rather than adding separate independent systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The animated indicator system serves multiple functions simultaneously: it displays charge status, indicates charging progress, signals battery health conditions, and provides visual feedback for user interaction. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate indicator systems for each function, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while maximizing information delivery.
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 solution provides an entertaining and informative indication of the battery's power level, ensuring timely and safe charging while preventing overcharging, enhancing user experience and safety.
Implementation Method 1
a fan configured to blow air in proximity to the charging dock and the model
Data Source
AI summary
An animated battery charging assembly provides a charging dock for dual purposes of charging a battery for an electrical device, and providing an entertaining indicator of a power level for the battery during the charging through the use of an animated model that articulates in correlation to the power level of battery. The charging dock charges a battery for an electrical device. The charging dock also supports an attached model that depicts a character, like a fictional or real character capable of animation, audio, and illumination. A fan cools the electrical device during charging, and enhances an animation effect of the animated model. An amount of energy remaining in the battery of the electrical device during charging is depicted as a power level. The model articulates limbs, garment, and accessories in correlation to power level. Software communicates the power level pertinent to the animated model for an appropriate articulation.