Reconfigurable Housing Isolates Battery from Parasitic Drain
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable battery-powered devices, such as flashlights, experience parasitic power drain even when not in use, leading to battery discharge over extended periods, reducing their operational lifespan.
Innovation Solution
A reconfigurable mechanism that allows users to selectively interrupt the power supply circuit of portable devices, isolating the battery when not in use to prevent discharge, and reconnecting it when needed, using a user-operated switch and a housing assembly that can be reconfigured between an active and inactive state.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the electronic switch remains connected to the battery to enable device operation, then the device is ready for use, but the battery discharges at a parasitic rate over extended periods
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the battery from the electrical circuit by providing a mechanism to physically disconnect or isolate the battery from the power supply circuit when the device is not in use. This separation eliminates the parasitic power drain while maintaining the ability to quickly reconnect when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a dynamic reconfigurable mechanism that allows the electrical circuit to switch between two states: connected (for operation) and disconnected (for storage). This dynamic adaptability enables the system to optimize between readiness and energy conservation based on usage conditions.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If the housing assembly is made reconfigurable to isolate the battery, then battery life is extended, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the battery isolation function with the existing housing assembly structure. By integrating the reconfigurable mechanism into the housing rather than adding separate components, the patent reduces overall device complexity while achieving battery life extension.
Solution Approach 2:
The reconfigurable housing assembly serves multiple functions: it provides structural support, enables battery isolation, and maintains electrical connectivity when needed. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional specialized components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A battery life extender for a portable lighting device employs a reconfigurable mechanism operable to selectively electrically isolate one or more batteries from a circuit having a parasitic power drain. For example, a lighting device includes a light generating element, at least one battery, a user operated switch configured to control delivery of electrical power from the at least one battery to the light generating element, and a housing assembly supporting the at least one battery and the light generating element. The user operated switch can impart a parasitic power drain. The housing assembly is reconfigurable to: (a) a first configuration in which the user operated switch is electrically connected to the at least one battery, and (b) a second configuration in which the at least one battery is electrically isolated and the at least one battery is retained by the housing assembly.