IP Verse

Portable Vehicle Battery Jump Start Apparatus With Safety Protection

Patent No. US11667203 (titled "Portable Vehicle Battery Jump Start Apparatus With Safety Protection") was filed by The Noco Co on Mar 16, 2020.

What is this patent about?

’203 is related to the field of portable jump starters for vehicles. The background involves the risk of short circuits and damage when connecting jumper cables, especially due to polarity reversal. Existing solutions often involve complex circuits or may be prone to malfunction, creating a need for a more robust and user-friendly design.

The underlying idea behind ’203 is to create a handheld jump starter that prevents accidental short circuits by using sensors and a microcontroller to intelligently control power delivery. The device checks for both the presence of a battery and correct polarity before enabling the connection between the internal lithium-ion battery pack and the vehicle's electrical system.

The claims of ’203 focus on a jump starter apparatus that includes a rechargeable battery, a USB charging port with a DC-DC converter , a vehicle battery isolation sensor, a separate reverse polarity sensor, and a power switch. The power switch is controlled by the sensors to ensure that power is only delivered when a battery is present and connected with the correct polarity.

In practice, the device uses optical isolators as sensors. One sensor detects the presence of a vehicle battery by checking for voltage across the output terminals. The other sensor checks the polarity by allowing current to flow through an LED only when the polarity is reversed. The microcontroller reads these sensor outputs and only activates a FET-based power switch if both sensors indicate a good battery with correct polarity. This prevents sparks and potential damage from incorrect connections.

This design differs from prior approaches by using a combination of simple, reliable sensors and a microcontroller to provide a safe and user-friendly jump-starting experience. The inclusion of a USB charging port with a DC-DC converter allows the device to be conveniently recharged from standard USB power sources, enhancing its portability and ease of use. The device also incorporates over-discharge and over-charge protection for the lithium-ion battery, further improving safety and longevity.

How does this patent fit in bigger picture?

Technical landscape at the time

In the mid-2010s when ’203 was filed, at a time when portable jump starters were typically implemented using internal batteries and safety circuits to prevent damage from reverse polarity connections. Systems commonly relied on voltage and current monitoring to detect faults and ensure safe operation. Hardware or software constraints made robust and reliable fault detection non-trivial.

Novelty and Inventive Step

The examiner allowed the claims because the prior art, whether taken alone or in combination, did not teach or suggest a jump starter apparatus having a power supply with rechargeable batteries, a USB port for charging, a DC-DC converter to increase voltage from the USB port, a vehicle battery isolation sensor, a separate reverse polarity sensor, and a power switch controlled by both sensors to connect the power supply only when a battery is present and properly connected.

Claims

This patent has 11 claims, with claim 1 being the only independent claim. Independent claim 1 is directed to a jump starter apparatus that includes a power supply, USB port, DC-DC converter, vehicle battery isolation sensor, reverse polarity sensor, and a power switch controlled by the sensors. The dependent claims generally add specific features or limitations to the jump starter apparatus described in the independent claim.

Key Claim Terms New

Definitions of key terms used in the patent claims.

Term (Source)Support for SpecificationInterpretation
Dc-dc converter
(Claim 1)		“In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the internal power supply is a rechargeable lithium ion battery pack.”A converter coupled between the USB port and the one or more rechargeable batteries and configured to increase a voltage received from the external power source for charging the one or more rechargeable batteries
Power switch
(Claim 1)		“In accordance with an aspect of the invention, an apparatus is provided for jump starting a vehicle engine, comprising: an internal power supply; an output port having positive and negative polarity outputs; a vehicle battery isolation sensor connected in circuit with said positive and negative polarity outputs, configured to detect presence of a vehicle battery connected between said positive and negative polarity outputs; a reverse polarity sensor connected in circuit with said positive and negative polarity outputs, configured to detect polarity of a vehicle battery connected between said positive and negative polarity outputs and to provide an output signal indicating whether positive and negative terminals of said vehicle battery are properly connected with said positive and negative polarity outputs of said output port; a power switch connected between said internal power supply and said output port; and a microcontroller configured to receive input signals from said vehicle isolation sensor and said reverse polarity sensor, and to provide an output signal to said power switch, such that said power switch is turned on to cause said internal power supply to be connected to said output port in response to signals from said sensors indicating the presence of a vehicle battery at said output port and proper polarity connection of positive and negative terminals of said vehicle battery with said positive and negative polarity outputs, and is not turned on when signals from said sensors indicate either the absence of a vehicle battery at said output port or improper polarity connection of positive and negative terminals of said vehicle battery with said positive and negative polarity outputs.”A switch that electrically connects the power supply to the vehicle battery, controlled by signals from the vehicle battery isolation sensor and the reverse polarity sensor.
Reverse polarity sensor
(Claim 1)		“In accordance with an aspect of the invention, an apparatus is provided for jump starting a vehicle engine, comprising: an internal power supply; an output port having positive and negative polarity outputs; a vehicle battery isolation sensor connected in circuit with said positive and negative polarity outputs, configured to detect presence of a vehicle battery connected between said positive and negative polarity outputs; a reverse polarity sensor connected in circuit with said positive and negative polarity outputs, configured to detect polarity of a vehicle battery connected between said positive and negative polarity outputs and to provide an output signal indicating whether positive and negative terminals of said vehicle battery are properly connected with said positive and negative polarity outputs of said output port”A sensor that detects whether the positive and negative terminals of the vehicle battery are properly connected to the jump starter apparatus.
Vehicle battery isolation sensor
(Claim 1)		“In accordance with an aspect of the invention, an apparatus is provided for jump starting a vehicle engine, comprising: an internal power supply; an output port having positive and negative polarity outputs; a vehicle battery isolation sensor connected in circuit with said positive and negative polarity outputs, configured to detect presence of a vehicle battery connected between said positive and negative polarity outputs”A sensor that detects the presence of a vehicle battery connected to the jump starter apparatus.

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US11667203

THE NOCO CO
Application Number
US16819831
Filing Date
Mar 16, 2020
Status
Granted
Expiry Date
Aug 18, 2034
External Links
Slate, USPTO, Google Patents