Multi-Bay Battery Charger With Adjustable Power Per Receptacle
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional multi-bay battery pack chargers output a fixed amount of power to each battery pack, lacking flexibility for charging battery packs with varying power ratings or rates, and do not allow users to customize charge settings for multiple battery packs simultaneously.
Innovation Solution
A multi-bay battery pack charger with multiple power supplies and switches controlled by a controller to provide customizable output power settings, including no-power, low-power, medium-power, and high-power options, allowing for flexible charging of battery packs with different ratings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional multi-bay battery pack charger outputs a fixed amount of power to each battery pack, then the charging process is simple and reliable, but the charger lacks flexibility for charging battery packs with varying power ratings or rates
Solution Approach 1:
The charger is divided into multiple independent charging circuits, each with its own power supply and switch. Each charging circuit can independently control power output to a specific battery pack receptacle, enabling flexible adaptation to different battery pack power ratings while maintaining manageable system complexity through modular design
Solution Approach 2:
The charger incorporates controllable switches that dynamically connect or disconnect power supplies from charging circuits based on detected battery pack characteristics. This dynamic switching capability allows the charger to adapt power output in real-time to match the specific power rating and charging rate requirements of each battery pack
2Adaptability or versatility
If a charger provides multiple power supply options and controllable switches, then flexibility in charge rate is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller serves multiple functions: detecting battery pack presence and characteristics, determining appropriate charging parameters, controlling multiple switches, and managing power distribution. This multi-functional controller consolidates what would otherwise require separate control mechanisms for each function, achieving flexibility without proportionally increasing complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The controller receives feedback signals from charging circuits indicating battery pack characteristics and charging status. Based on this feedback, the controller automatically adjusts switch configurations and power supply connections to optimize charging rates, eliminating the need for manual intervention and simplifying the user interface while maintaining high adaptability
3Ease of operation
If a charger allows customization of charge settings for multiple battery packs, then user control and optimization are improved, but the ease of operation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The charger automatically detects battery pack characteristics and configures charging parameters without requiring manual user input. The system self-adjusts power supply connections and charging rates based on detected battery pack power ratings, providing full customization capability while maintaining simple operation through automated decision-making
Data Source
AI summary
A battery pack charger includes a housing, a plurality of battery receptacles supported by the housing each configured to receive a battery pack, a plurality of output power supplies, a plurality of charging circuits configured to transmit power from one of the plurality of output power supplies to one or more of the plurality of battery receptacles, a plurality of switches included in the plurality of charging circuits, and a controller. The controller is operable to receive signals from charging circuits that are indicative of battery packs being received by each of the battery receptacles, control the plurality of switches to one of a first position or a second position based on the input, and provide one of a first output power and a second output power to each of the battery pack receptacles.