The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 19, 2013
Filed:
May. 29, 2008
Norimasa Yanase, Chiba, JP;
Noboru Ishisone, Chiba, JP;
Tsuneaki Tamachi, Chiba, JP;
Toru Ozaki, Chiba, JP;
Takafumi Sarata, Chiba, JP;
Kazutaka Yuzurihara, Chiba, JP;
Fumiharu Iwasaki, Chiba, JP;
Norimasa Yanase, Chiba, JP;
Noboru Ishisone, Chiba, JP;
Tsuneaki Tamachi, Chiba, JP;
Toru Ozaki, Chiba, JP;
Takafumi Sarata, Chiba, JP;
Kazutaka Yuzurihara, Chiba, JP;
Fumiharu Iwasaki, Chiba, JP;
Seiko Instruments Inc., , JP;
Abstract
A power supply apparatus has a combined power source with power cells configured electrically independently. A switch arbitrarily changes connection paths of the power cells by selectively connecting power cell terminals through switching elements. A voltage detector detects differences in electrical potentials between the power cell terminals. A controller controls ON-OFF states of the switching elements by controlling the switch by a control signal generated based on voltage signals representing the differences in electrical potentials detected by the voltage detector so as to isolate one of the power cells to stop a supply of electric power therefrom when a voltage generated in the power cell has dropped to a specified voltage or lower. The controller restarts the supply of electric power from the power cell whose power supply has been stopped when the duration of a down time of the power cell has reached a predetermined time or longer.