Device having an energy converter and an energy limiter to limit supplied electrical energy
View Patent ↗An electrical device ( 100 ) includes a housing ( 102 ), a battery receiving region ( 104 ), device electrical circuitry ( 112 ), an energy converter ( 110 ), and an energy limiter ( 108 ). The battery receiving region ( 104 ), the circuitry ( 112 ), the energy converter ( 110 ) and the energy limiter ( 108 ) are located within the housing ( 102 ). The energy converter ( 110 ) has an input dynamic range for supplied electrical energy and converts the energy to a level suitable for powering the device circuitry ( 112 ). The energy limiter ( 108 ) limits the supplied electrical energy.
1. An electrical device comprising:
a housing;
a battery receiving region within the housing;
device electrical circuitry within the housing;
an energy converter within the housing and having an input dynamic range for supplied electrical energy and the energy converter converts the supplied electrical energy to a level suitable for powering the device electrical circuitry as output electrical energy; and
an energy limiter within the housing that limits the supplied electrical energy.
2. The device of claim 1 , the input dynamic range accommodates the supplied energy from primary and secondary batteries.
3. The device of claim 1 , further comprising at least one battery to provide the supplied electrical energy.
4. The device of claim 3 , the input dynamic range accommodates a decrease in voltage of the supplied power as the at least one battery is discharged.
5. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a controller within the housing and coupled to the energy converter and the energy limiter.
6. The device of claim 5 , the controller includes a control circuit which adjusts operation of a switch according to a measured value of the output electrical energy.
7. The device of claim 5 , the energy converter provides feedback to the controller.
8. The device of claim 5 , further comprising a switch to select one of a plurality of modes of operation of the energy converter.
9. The device of claim 8 , the plurality of modes including a direct connection of a load to the supplied electrical energy.
10. The device of claim 8 , the plurality of modes including operating the energy converter as a step down converter.
11. The device of claim 8 , the plurality of modes including operating the energy converter as a voltage doubler.
12. The device of claim 1 , the device electrical circuitry includes a plurality of electrical circuits requiring varied supply voltages and the level suitable for powering the device electrical circuitry is selected from the varied supply voltages.
13. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a second energy limiter.
14. The device of claim 1 , the housing is explosion proof.
15. An electrical device comprising:
a battery power source that supplies battery energy;
an energy converter receives the battery energy and supplies output energy;
an energy limiter that limits the battery energy; and
a controller coupled to the energy converter and the energy limiter.
16. The device of claim 15 , the energy converter having a plurality of modes of operation comprising a direct connection, a step down converter, and a voltage booster.
17. The device of claim 16 , further comprising a switch for selecting one of the modes of operation.
18. The device of claim 15 , the controller selects a voltage level and controls the energy converter to supply the output energy at the selected voltage level.
19. The device of claim 15 , the battery source is a rechargeable battery.
20. The device of claim 15 , the controller obtains measurements of the output energy and modifies operation of the energy converter according to the measurements.