Bi-Directional TRU Battery Charging for Peer-to-Peer Power Sharing

The battery is designed to serve multiple functions: it acts as both a power storage device for the TRU and a portable power source that can charge external devices. The battery includes multiple output terminals (first output terminal and second output terminal) that enable different charging modes - charging the TRU from external power, charging external devices from the battery, or peer-to-peer charging between batteries. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by expanding charging availability without requiring complex external infrastructure.

The system enables self-service charging through peer-to-peer battery charging. When a TRU with a charged battery encounters another TRU with a depleted battery, the charged battery can directly charge the depleted battery without requiring external power infrastructure. The control unit automatically manages this peer-to-peer charging process, allowing the system to service itself and resolving the limitation of external power availability.

The patent merges two TRU units through direct battery-to-battery connection, combining their power capacities. When one TRU has a depleted battery and encounters another TRU with a charged battery, they can charge each other peer-to-peer. This merging approach allows extended operation duration without requiring any single TRU to carry excessive battery capacity, thus avoiding the weight penalty while achieving the goal of extended operation.

The system transitions from a single-dimension power model (one battery per TRU) to a multi-dimensional network model where multiple TRUs can share power resources. By enabling peer-to-peer charging between TRUs, the system creates a distributed power network where the effective operation duration is extended across the network rather than being limited by individual battery capacity, avoiding the need to increase individual battery size and weight.