Apple Inc.

Humane, Inc.

Utstarcom, Incorporated

James J Blanc

David B Townsley

Imran A Chaudhri

Brian Quentin Huppi

Steven E Austin

Stephen J Kim

Patrick G Gates

Miguel C Christophy

Bethany Bongiorno

Mark C Gurries

Sara Glick

A portable battery pack is disclosed for wirelessly powering a portable electronic device through a user's clothing. The portable battery pack includes a housing with a mating surface that includes one or more permanent magnets to facilitate mating with a portable electronic device, such as a body-worn camera.

Portable battery pack for wirelessly charging body-worn devices through clothing

A portable battery pack and portable electronic device communicate by pulsing (turning on/off) their respective battery chargers causing variations in a magnetic field between the battery pack and portable electronic device that can be used to transmit and receive short messages through their respective coils using a magnetic communication protocol. Data or messages can be transferred between portable battery pack and portable electronic device when the portable battery pack and portable electronic device are in a mated configuration. The magnetic communication protocol allows for bi-directional communication of various battery status indicators and other data from the portable battery pack to the portable electronic device and vice-versa. The magnetic communication also allows the portable electronic device to be authenticated by the portable battery pack or vice-versa, such that the absence of any communication between the portable electronic device and portable battery pack renders the portable electronic device fully/partially inoperable.

Portable battery pack for wirelessly charging and communicating with portable electronic device through clothing

A method and apparatus for aggregating power from multiple sources generates a single direct current regulated voltage. The apparatus comprises a plurality of slave voltage converters and a master pulse width modulator circuit. Providing a plurality of direct current power sources, current is drawn through a plurality of lines connected to the plurality of direct current power sources. An open circuit voltage for each direct current power source is unknown. Each line of the plurality of lines has a line resistance. The line resistance of at least some of the plurality of lines may be unknown. The line resistance of at least some of the plurality of lines is large. The single direct current regulated voltage is generated from the drawn current.

Method and apparatus for aggregating power from multiple sources

A power system fault handling mechanism for portable electronic devices having multiple power supplies. A safety-net circuit is triggered when a power fault condition is detected. The safety-net circuit is a diode-based bridging circuit which couples all available power supplies to the power load, yet avoids feeding power back from any of the supplies to one another. This ensures that the load continues to receive power after a fault condition occurs without interruption. A microcontroller may then implement a routine to switch to a working power supply so that the device may resume normal operation. The power system fault detection mechanism therefor allows for the switching between system power supplies without disrupting a running process.

Power fault protection in a computer system having multiple power supplies

An apparatus for programmably adjusting output voltage of a constant-voltage battery charger is disclosed. The present invention includes a power circuit for generating an output voltage for charging batteries. This power circuit generates this output voltage as a function of an incoming power source and an incoming error signal. The invention further includes a controller for providing a pulse width modulated (PWM) signal operating at a pre-determined frequency. This PWM signal controls the effective divider ratio of a voltage divider network which is implemented, among other things, for generating the error signal to be fed to the power circuit. The present invention varies the effective divider ratio by programmably applying the pulse width modulated signal from the controller. As a result, the output voltage from the power circuit can be varied to optimally charge batteries of differing types and technologies.

Method and apparatus for programmably adjusting output voltage of a

A circuit enabling simultaneous independent charging, sequential charging and sequential discharging of multiple batteries within a computer system and a method for charging the batteries independent of their technology or chemistry. Each battery of the multiple batteries in incorporated within a battery pack. The battery pack includes at least the battery, but may also include a module for supplying information regarding the battery to a system micro-controller unit to assist the system micro-controller unit in charging of the battery. For such battery packs, the method for charging each battery, regardless of its technology or chemistry and without hardware modification or software downloading of information, includes a monitoring phase, a charging phase and an error phase.

Circuit offering sequential discharge and simultaneous charge for a

A novel battery monitoring device is described. The monitoring device determines amount of battery self-discharge, determines amount of battery discharge from a monitoring circuit, determines amount of battery discharge from a host device when the host device is in a first power consumption mode, and determines amount of battery discharge from the host device when the host device is in a second power consumption mode. The first mode causes greater discharge of the battery during a given period of time than the second mode.

Method and apparatus for monitoring discharge of a battery device based

Power fault protection in a computer system having multiple power

A low power consumption oscillator circuit. The oscillator circuit comprises a capacitor coupled to a first resistor that is capable of delaying discharge of the capacitor. The oscillator circuit further comprises a first inverter coupled to the capacitor and having a first input. The first inverter is capable of applying charge to the capacitor when a first voltage potential on the first input is above a first threshold voltage of the first inverter. The first inverter is capable of removing charge from the capacitor when a second voltage potential on the first input is below a second threshold voltage of the first inverter. The oscillator circuit further comprises threshold detection circuitry having a second circuitry is coupled to the first input of the first inverter, and the second input is coupled to the capacitor. The threshold detection circuitry is capable of applying the first voltage potential on the first input when a third voltage potential on the second input is below a third threshold voltage of the threshold detection circuitry. The threshold detection circuitry is capable of applying the second voltage potential on the first input when a fourth voltage potential on the second input is above the third threshold voltage of the threshold detection circuitry. The third threshold voltage of the threshold detection circuitry is different than the first and second threshold voltages.

Growing community of inventors

San Mateo, CA, United States of America

James J Blanc