Did You Know...
...that the Eveready Battery began as an invention called the "electric flowerpot," which was a tube with a battery and light bulb inside? The idea was to fasten this gizmo to the side of a flowerpot so it would illuminate the flowers from the bottom. The idea died on the vine and the businessman who licensed the flower pot, Conrad Huber, was left with a pile of useless tubes -- until he found a way to market them as batteries to light the world!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8115334 | Electrically driven power take-off system and method of manufacturing same A system and method for operating power take-off (PTO) systems aboard hybrid and electric systems and vehicles is disclosed. The PTO system includes an energy storage device configured to supply electrical power and at least one electrical drive system electrically ... | 02/14/2012 |
| 8097975 | Drive system for a motor vehicle comprising an internal combustion engine and an electric motor The invention relates to an apparatus and a method for starting an internal combustion engine for a motor vehicle, wherein the internal combustion engine has an associated electrical machine (1) which is operated as a starter/generator. During starting, the e... | 01/17/2012 |
| 8089177 | Power supply system, vehicle having power supply system, and control method of power supply system A discharge distribution ratio calculating unit calculates a discharge distribution ratio, according to the ratio between an amount of electric power allowed to be discharged from a first storage device connected to a first converter, and the sum of amounts of elect... | 01/03/2012 |
| 8067853 | Power supply system The power supply system includes a generator, a transformer circuit, and a battery. The generator generates electric power of a first voltage. The transformer circuit boosts the electric power of the first voltage to a second voltage. The battery is connected, via t... | 11/29/2011 |
| 8058744 | Electrical system and automotive drive system having an on-demand boost converter, and related operating methods Systems and methods are provided for an on-demand boost converter for use in a vehicle. An automotive drive system comprises a boost converter having an input node, a first output node associated with a first boost leg, and a second output node associated with a sec... | 11/15/2011 |
| 8058743 | Automotive electrical system for coupling power converters with a transformer Systems and/or apparatus are provided for automotive electrical systems having power converters that are coupled by using a transformer. An electrical system comprises a boost converter, wherein a first winding of a transformer is coupled between the input node of t... | 11/15/2011 |
| 8053922 | Closing system for motor vehicles The invention relates to a closing system for motor vehicles involving access authorization and driving authorization by means of a control unit provided with means of communication. Said communication means comprise a stationary transmitter-receiver unit in the veh... | 11/08/2011 |
| 8035247 | Power supply device for vehicle A power supply device for a vehicle includes a battery, a power line (power supply line and ground line, a connection unit, a charger that is an electric power supply unit, an accessory load, a voltage sensor and a control device. When the accessory load is operatin... | 10/11/2011 |
| 8026632 | System and method for exporting a vehicle on-board AC power to a second vehicle A method for enabling a truck having an electrical system that can accept shore power to be supplied with shore power is provided. While the truck is stationary, an electric cable is connected between the truck's electrical system and an APU of a second truck that n... | 09/27/2011 |
| 8022569 | Systems and methods for discharging bus voltage using semiconductor devices Systems and methods are provided for discharging a high-voltage bus using semiconductor devices. A discharge system for a first voltage rail and a second voltage rail comprises a first semiconductor device coupled to a first voltage rail and a second semiconductor d... | 09/20/2011 |
| 8018087 | Vehicular lamp A vehicular lamp is arranged to save power by not driving a cooling fan when an LED is unlit. The vehicular lamp is capable of reducing cost and stopping a supply of current to the LED even in the case of open wiring in a supply of current to the cooling fan. The ve... | 09/13/2011 |
| 8008801 | Vehicle power supply device A vehicle power supply device which prevents a lack of power supply to the motor and insufficient recovery of regenerative electric power of the motor at the time of switching between power running and regeneration. First input-output sections (3a, ... | 08/30/2011 |
| 8004110 | On-vehicle power generation controller Provided is an on-vehicle power generation controller capable of uniformly maintaining balance of electric power generated by a plurality of generators, and also capable of realizing a less expensive controller structure. The on-vehicle power generation controller i... | 08/23/2011 |
| 7999408 | Power and communication architecture for a vehicle A power, ground and communication architecture (100) utilizes hubs (105, 110, 115). Each hub (105, 110, 115) contains computing, communication and power management elements (135, 140). Hubs (105, 110, 115) may be connected to multi... | 08/16/2011 |
| 7989979 | Pneumatically telescoping mast having DC operated controls A control system for a pneumatically operated mast has a first control, a second control, and a positioning member. A first serial link communicates the first control with the second control. A second serial link communicates the second control with the positioning ... | 08/02/2011 |
| 7982333 | Voltage regulator having overvoltage protection A voltage regulator having overvoltage protection which is situated in a vehicle electrical system between the generator that is situated in a first voltage level and a battery that is situated in a second voltage level. A generator is used as a generator whose cont... | 07/19/2011 |
| 7982332 | Power device for a vehicle A power device for use in a vehicle includes a housing, a voltage converter, and a charge-storing device. The housing carries the voltage converter and the charge-storing device. The voltage converter includes a circuit that converts a power signal having a first vo... | 07/19/2011 |
| 7977814 | Centralized HV interlock system A centralized high voltage interlock system includes an electrical source, an interlock control unit electrically connected to the electrical source, at least one high voltage component disposed in direct electrical contact with the interlock control unit and a high... | 07/12/2011 |
| 7977812 | Electric power system for vehicle An ECU in an electric power system for a vehicle controls a DC-DC converter so that an alternator transmits a residual generated electric power to a sub battery while a terminal voltage of a main battery is maintained within an optimally specified voltage range. Thi... | 07/12/2011 |
| 7977813 | System and method for reducing quiescent power draw and machine using same A machine includes a plurality of electronic controllers electrically connected to an electrical power source along a first electrical circuit through a first relay and along a second electrical circuit through a second relay. A relay controller is directly connecte... | 07/12/2011 |
| 7973423 | On-vehicle electric power source system In an on-vehicle electric power source system, a power source control device is configured to supply an electric power from an electric power supply source to an actuator by means of a dual-circuit power supply line. The dual-circuit power supply line includes a byp... | 07/05/2011 |
| 7973424 | Method and apparatus for producing tractive effort with interface to other apparatus An apparatus and method for determining and providing a controlled power from a first apparatus to another apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes an energy source configured to generate a power output, a power converter electrically connected to the energy s... | 07/05/2011 |
| 7969041 | System where the number of conductors equals the number of sensors and each of the sensors receives voltages via a different set of two conductors and provides data via the different set of two conductors A system includes a control circuit, supply circuits, and sensors. The control circuit controls the supply circuits to power each of the sensors and obtain data from the powered sensors. If one of the supply conductors is open, the control circuit controls the suppl... | 06/28/2011 |
| 7964985 | Power supply control device and method of detecting abnormality of relay When an ignition key is turn ON, an ECU drives a bidirectional DC/DC converter to charge a capacitor to a voltage Vth1. The ECU turns on a first relay only and diagnoses whether or not a second relay, which is off, is welded, based on a change in a voltage VL... | 06/21/2011 |
| 7960855 | System and method for providing power control of an energy storage system A control circuit comprises a circuit adapted to determine a state of charge of a high side power source using a sensed output current to provide a variable gain signal based on the state of charge. The control circuit may also contain a circuit configured to provid... | 06/14/2011 |
| 7960856 | Innovative architectures for systems for generation and distribution of energy on board motor vehicles The system allows the generation and distribution of energy on board a motor vehicle provided with a propulsion unit, a tank for fuel at least one distribution network or line for electric energy, electrical energy generation devices connected to the at least one di... | 06/14/2011 |
| 7960857 | System and method for vehicle based uninterruptable power supply A system and method for controlling a vehicle-based source of uninterruptable power is disclosed. The vehicle-based UPS includes an energy storage system located on-board a vehicle and configured to generate DC power transferable to an external load, and an DC-AC in... | 06/14/2011 |
| 7956489 | Power supply system and vehicle including the same A converter ECU (2) obtains allowable power total value including at least one of discharge allowable power total value ΣWout of discharge allowable power Wout1, Wout2 and charge allowable power total value ΣWin of charge allowable power Win | 06/07/2011 |
| 7956490 | Battery backup for vehicle emergency communicator The battery backup for vehicle emergency communicator includes mechanisms for applying backup battery power to an emergency communicator. Electrically operated relays may be employed to switch the backup battery in order to power the emergency communicator of a tele... | 06/07/2011 |
| 7952225 | Modular vehicle power system A modular vehicle power system for a vehicle, the modular vehicle power system obtaining DC power the vehicle and producing AC power and method therefore. A plurality of power modules, each of the plurality of power modules receiving the DC power from the vehicle an... | 05/31/2011 |
| 7936086 | Paralleled HVDC bus electrical power system architecture A power generation and distribution system utilizes two or more AC generators each of which may be driven by a separate prime mover such as a turbine. The generators may be driven at different rotational speeds. AC power from the generators may be rectified and appl... | 05/03/2011 |
| 7915753 | Power supply apparatus and vehicle A battery is arranged outside a compartment. A service plug is arranged in the compartment. The service plug is a shutoff device that can shut off an output path of the battery by a manual operation. When a vehicle is hard hit at the front and a circuit of PCU is da... | 03/29/2011 |
| 7911079 | Electrical system architecture having high voltage bus An electrical system architecture is disclosed. The architecture has a power source configured to generate a first power, and a first bus configured to receive the first power from the power source. The architecture also has a converter configured to receive the fir... | 03/22/2011 |
| 7902693 | Driver assisting system, method for assisting driver, and vehicle incorporating same A driver assisting system calculates a risk perceived (RP) by a driver from the environment, and a potential risk. At least one actuator is coupled to a driver controlled input device (or a driver's seat) to provide a first force to the driver controlled input devic... | 03/08/2011 |
| 7902692 | Inverter system A vehicle system for use in powering an AC load. The system may included an inverter system operating in cooperation with a power distribution system. The power distribution system may be configured to provide a stabilized power output to the inverter system. The in... | 03/08/2011 |
| 7893558 | On-vehicle power supply device An on-vehicle power supply device is connected to a vehicle battery with revealing. The on-vehicle power supply device is used for receiving a DC input power supplied by the vehicle battery, and the on-vehicle power supply device induces a plurality of high-frequenc... | 02/22/2011 |
| 7884494 | Pushbutton for actuating an electropneumatic parking brake (EPH) A pushbutton device for actuating an electropneumatic parking brake (EPH) of a vehicle, which is connected to an evaluating electronic unit via connecting cables. In order to detect switching processes and/or faults, the input resistance of the pushbutton device bet... | 02/08/2011 |
| 7880326 | Integrated power module for hybrid and fuel cell vehicles An integrated power module conditions and distributes electrical power from a high voltage source in a vehicle, wherein the vehicle includes an electrically-driven traction motor. A common primary DC-to-DC converter stage for coupling to the high voltage source prod... | 02/01/2011 |
| 7875994 | Device for protecting passenger in vehicle An airbag device includes an airbag control IC constructed with a control signal generating circuit, a high-side switching element and a low-side switching element. Based on a signal for controlling the low-side switching element, on a signal for controlling a safet... | 01/25/2011 |
| 7872371 | Power line E-field coupler and associated systems and methods The power line electric field (E-field) coupler device is for collecting energy from a power line and includes a flexible stack of alternating electrically conductive layers and dielectric layers. A power collecting circuit is connected to the flexible stack to outp... | 01/18/2011 |
