Battery Unit Voltage Change Rate Detection for Charger Load Distinction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery units for electronic smoking devices face inefficiencies due to erroneous detection of components connected to the connection part, leading to wasteful consumption of electric power, as the charger may be incorrectly identified as connected when an electric load is present.
Innovation Solution
A battery unit with a detection part for monitoring output voltage and a control part that distinguishes between charging and power supplying modes by setting a threshold value based on voltage changes, preventing unnecessary power supply by judging abnormality in the charging mode when the output voltage decrease is below a predetermined threshold.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the battery unit uses a shared connection part for both charger and load connection, then the device structure is simplified and ease of manufacture is improved, but erroneous detection occurs where the charger is incorrectly identified as connected when a load is present, leading to wasteful power consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical/connection-based detection with electrical parameter-based detection. Instead of relying on physical connection states alone, the system uses voltage change rate detection to identify whether a charger or load is connected. This substitution allows the shared connection part to be accurately interpreted, preventing erroneous charger detection when a load is present, thereby eliminating wasteful power consumption while maintaining the simplified device structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback through continuous monitoring of output voltage changes. The detection part measures voltage at regular intervals and calculates the rate of change. This feedback mechanism allows the control part to distinguish between charger connection (voltage increase) and load connection (voltage decrease), preventing erroneous detection and unnecessary power supply to the load when a charger is actually connected.
2Reliability
If the battery unit continuously supplies power to prevent detection errors, then reliability is improved, but energy waste increases due to continuous power supply during erroneous charger detection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the power supply state dynamic rather than static. Instead of continuously supplying power or completely cutting it off, the system dynamically adjusts power supply based on real-time voltage change rate detection. When the voltage change rate indicates a load is connected, power is supplied; when it indicates a charger is connected, power supply is stopped. This dynamic approach maintains reliability by accurately responding to connection states while improving energy efficiency by avoiding continuous unnecessary power supply.
3Device complexity
If the battery unit uses voltage threshold comparison for mode detection, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision requirements increase to accurately distinguish between charging and power supplying modes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses parameter changes by transitioning from absolute voltage level comparison to voltage change rate comparison. Instead of comparing voltage against fixed thresholds that require high precision, the system compares the rate of voltage change (ΔV/Δt). This parameter transformation reduces measurement precision requirements because the change rate provides a clearer distinction between charging mode (voltage increasing) and power supplying mode (voltage decreasing), even with moderate detection precision. The control mechanism remains simple while the measurement requirement becomes more robust.
Data Source
AI summary
A battery unit includes a power source; a detection part for detecting an output voltage of the power source; a connection part to which a load for atomizing an aerosol source or heating a flavor source and a charger for charging the power source are connectable; and a control part being able to execute a power supplying mode that allows supply of electric power from the power source to the load and a charging mode that allows charging of the power source by the charger, wherein if a decreased quantity of the output voltage per predetermined period in the charging mode is equal to or less than a threshold value that has been set based on a decreased quantity of the output voltage per the predetermined period in the power supplying mode, the control part determines that there is abnormality in the charging mode.