US20090284170A1 - Circuitry for portable lighting devices and portable rechargeable electronic devices - Google Patents

Abstract

A flashlight with a circuit for reducing the initial surge of current that is sent through the lamp filament when a flashlight is turned on is provided. The circuit reduces the stresses placed on the lamp bulb when it is turned on, thereby extending the life expectancy of the lamp bulb. A flashlight with an electronic switch is also disclosed.

Description

• This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/007,771, filed on Dec. 7, 2004, now pending, which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• 1. Field of the Invention
• The field of the present invention relates to portable electronic devices, including hand held portable lighting devices, such as flashlights, and their circuitry.
• 2. Background
• Various hand held or portable lighting devices, including flashlight designs, are known in the art. Flashlights typically include one or more dry cell batteries having positive and negative electrodes. In certain designs, the batteries are arranged in series in a battery compartment of a barrel or housing that can be used to hold the flashlight. An electrical circuit is frequently established from a battery electrode through conductive means which are electrically coupled with an electrode of a lamp bulb. After passing through the lamp bulb, the electric circuit continues through a second electrode of the lamp bulb in electrical contact with conductive means, which in turn are in electrical contact with the other electrode of a battery. Incandescent lamp bulbs include a bulb filament. Typically, the circuit includes a switch to open or close the circuit. Actuation of the switch to close the electrical circuit enables current to pass through the lamp bulb and through the filament, in the case of an incandescent lamp bulb, thereby generating light.
• Traditional flashlights use a mechanical switch to “turn on” the flashlight. This is achieved by mechanically connecting two contacts and allowing current to flow from the positive terminal of the batteries, through the lamp, and back to the negative terminal of the batteries. One of the disadvantages of a mechanical switch is that they are prone to wear and tear as well as oxidation of the elements that physically make and break the circuit. Mechanical switches also do not permit automated or regulated modes of activating and deactivating a flashlight.
• Another disadvantage of traditional flashlights is that when they are switched on they instantly allow large amounts of current to flow from the batteries through the lamp filament, thereby stressing the filament. This surge of current occurs because the resistance of the lamp's filament is very low when the filament is cold.
• Essentially a lamp filament is a piece of wire that initially acts as a short circuit. The filament resistance builds as the filament heats until the point where light is emitted. Consequently, when the flashlight is initially turned on, a significantly greater amount of current than the bulb is designed to handle flows through the lamp. Although the current surge during this transient stage exceeds the bulb's design limits, the duration of the transient stage is short enough that bulbs generally survive the current surge. Over time, however, this rush of current causes damage to the lamp by stressing the filament and ultimately failure of the lamp filament. Indeed, it is generally during this transient stage that a lamp filament will ultimately fail.
• Yet another disadvantage of traditional flashlights is that they are generally powered with alkaline or dry cell batteries. Alkaline or dry cell batteries, when exhausted, are discarded and users have to buy new ones to replace the depleted ones. Replacing batteries is an inconvenience and an additional expense to a flashlight user. Furthermore, alkaline or dry cell batteries are heavy, thereby adding to the overall weight of the flashlight.
• Rechargeable lead-acid batteries were developed to replace alkaline and dry batteries. These types of batteries have the advantages of being rechargeable and dischargeable for repeated use. They are, however, relatively large and must be refilled with liquid electrolyte after being used for a period of time. Due to their bulky size and weight, even heavier than alkaline/dry cell batteries, rechargeable lead-acid batteries are usually used with wall-mounted safety lighting fixtures, motorcycles, and automobiles, but are generally not considered suitable for use with portable lighting devices, such as flashlights.
• Nickel-cadmium batteries and nickel-metal hydride batteries have been used to replace conventional batteries in flashlights. Nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal hydride batteries have the advantages of being light in weight, convenient for use, and repeatedly rechargeable and dischargeable. However, these batteries have a disadvantage of causing heavy metal pollution. Moreover, the nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal hydride batteries have the so-called battery memory effect. Thus, in order to avoid shortening the life of the batteries, it is necessary to discharge any unused power of these types of batteries before they can be recharged.
• An improved rechargeable energy source for portable electronic devices is the lithium-ion battery. Lithium-ion batteries have a higher energy density and a lower self-discharge rate than nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal hydride batteries. Lithium-ion batteries also have a higher energy to weight ratio than nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal hydride batteries. However, a lithium-ion battery can explode if it is charged beyond its safe limits, or if its terminals are shorted together. Further, over discharging a lithium-ion battery can permanently damage the lithium-ion cell. Accordingly, most lithium-ion batteries are made available in a battery pack that includes a built-in protection circuit that has over charge, over discharge, and short circuit protection capabilities. This battery pack protection circuit internally blocks current from flowing from the lithium-ion battery pack when a short is detected. Thus, if there is a short across the recharging contacts for the device, the battery pack protection circuit trips and the electronic device will cease to operate
• To avoid such inadvertent interruptions, recharging contacts of portable electronic devices that are powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion batty pack have the contacts in hard to reach or hidden locations. Unfortunately, such a configuration requires the use of plugs, special inserts, alignment tabs or a complex cradle to recharge the batteries. Obstructing access to the recharging contacts is not, however, a viable solution in the case of flashlights or other rechargeable devices where design requirements dictate that the charging contacts or rings be exposed.
• If rechargeable lithium-ion batteries were used in a flashlight with exposed charge rings and the user accidentally created a short across the exposed charge contacts with a metal object such as his or her car keys, the lamp would go off until the metal object creating the short circuit is removed. Such inadvertent interruptions may be dangerous when a user is working in an unlit area, especially for law enforcement and emergency response personnel. And, while a simple diode can be placed in the recharging circuit to prevent accidental short circuits from being created across the charging rings or contacts for other rechargeable battery chemistries, such as nickel-cadmium and nickel metal hydride, this solution is not viable for lithium-ion battery packs. A simple diode cannot be used in these circumstances because the forward voltage drop of a diode varies greatly while charging lithium-ion batteries requires very tight control over the termination voltage.
• In view of the foregoing, rechargeable lithium-ion battery technology has not been adopted for use in portable electronic devices with exposed charging contacts, such as rechargeable flashlights. A need, therefore, exists for a means of providing improved short circuit protection in rechargeable devices, such as flashlights, having exposed charging contacts. A separate need also exists for a flashlight with improved circuitry that ameliorates one or more of the problems discussed above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• It is an object of the present invention to address or at least ameliorate one or more of the problems associated with the flashlights and/or rechargeable devices noted above.
• Accordingly, in a first aspect of the invention, a portable rechargeable electronic device, such as a flashlight, with external charging contacts and a short protection circuit is provided. The short protection circuit electrically uncouples one of the exposed charging contacts from the rechargeable power supply for the device when the charging contacts are shorted together. The charging contact is uncoupled without opening the power circuit for the device; thus, the device can continue to operate while the charging contacts are shorted. The power supply for the device may be a rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack.
• According to one embodiment, the rechargeable electronic device comprises a main power circuit including a DC power source and a power consuming load, a first charging contact electrically coupled to a first electrode of the power source via a first electrical path, a second charging contact electrically coupled to a second electrode of the power source via a second electrical path, and a short protection circuit configured to open the first electrical path at a location that is not within the main power circuit if the first charging contact and the second charging contact are shorted together.
• The short protection circuit preferably includes a switch interposed in the first electrical path between the first charging contact and the first electrode at a location that is not within the main power circuit. The short protection circuit may be configured to open the switch if the first and second charging contacts are shorted together. The switch may, for example, be a transistor, including either a field effect transistor or a bipolar transistor. Preferably the switch is a p-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET).
• The short protection circuit may also include a comparing device adapted to compare a voltage of a first input signal to a voltage of a second input signal and open or close the switch based on the comparison. The voltage of the first signal may be proportional to the voltage difference between the first charging contact and ground and the voltage of the second signal may be proportional to the voltage of the power source. The comparing device may, for example, comprise a comparator, an op amp, an ASIC, or a processor. When the voltage drop between the first charging contact and ground is approximately equal to or greater than the voltage of the battery, the switch is commanded to be in the “on” position by the comparing device. As a result, when the device is in its charger energy may flow from the charging contact to the power source. When the voltage drop between the first charging contact and ground is zero, the switch is commanded to be in the “off” position. Thus, if a short occurs between the charging contacts, the switch will be turned “off” or opened. As a result, the power source avoids any short across the charging contacts and can continue to supply power to the power consuming load.
• The rechargeable device may comprise a flashlight, and the DC power source may comprise a rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack. In case of a short across the charging contacts, the short protection circuit may be configured to detect and clear the short faster than the built-in short circuit protection of the lithium-ion battery pack. As such, the short protection circuit ensures that the operation of the device is not interrupted if a short occurs on the external charging contacts. This is particularly advantageous if the rechargeable device comprises a flashlight.
• In yet a further embodiment, a rechargeable flashlight is provided that comprises a power source, a lamp electrically coupled to the power source through a main power circuit, a first charging contact electrically coupled to a first electrode of the power source through a first electrical path, a second charging contact electrically coupled to a second electrode of the power source through a second electrical path, and a logic circuit controlling a switch interposed in the first electrical path at a location that is not within the main power circuit. The logic circuit is configured to signal the switch to open if the first and second charging contacts are shorted together.
• According to a second aspect of the invention, a portable lighting device that includes a circuit for regulating current flow through the lamp of the device is provided. The circuit preferably reduces the initial surge of current that is sent through the lamp when the lamp is turned on. In the case of lighting devices that employ incandescent lamp bulbs, such a circuit may be used to reduce the stresses placed on the lamp bulb when the lighting device is turned on, thereby extending the life expectancy of the lamp bulb.
• According to one embodiment, the lighting device comprises a main power circuit including a power source, a light source, and an electronic power switch, and a power control circuit. The power control circuit is electrically coupled to the electronic power switch and adapted to regulate current flow through the electronic power switch in response to a control signal. The power control circuit may regulate the electronic power switch when the lighting device is turned on to limit the peak current that flows through the main power circuit prior to the main power circuit reaching a steady state. The electronic power switch may comprise a transistor, and the light source may include a filament. Preferably the electronic power switch comprises an n-channel MOSFET and the power control circuit applies the modified control signal to the gate of the MOSFET. The lighting device may comprise a flashlight.
• In a preferred embodiment, the lighting device further comprises a microprocessor and a mechanical switch for opening and closing an electrical path between the power source and the microprocessor. The microprocessor provides the control signal to the power control circuit in response to an activation signal received from the mechanical switch, and the power control circuit modifies the control signal and applies the modified control signal to the electronic power switch. The voltage of the control signal may vary according to a step function when the lighting device is turned on, while the modified control signal may have a voltage that increases over time after the lighting device is turned on. Preferably the voltage of the modified control signal increases exponentially after the flashlight is turned on.
• According to another embodiment, the lighting device comprises a flashlight having a main power circuit that includes a power source, a lamp, and an electronic power switch, and a power control circuit electrically coupled to the electronic power switch and adapted to provide a signal to the electronic power switch while the flashlight is on. In the present embodiment, the amount of current the electronic power switch is capable of conducting in the main power circuit is dependent on the voltage of the signal applied to the electronic power switch, and the power control circuit is configured to vary the voltage of the signal in a manner that increases the amount of current that can flow through the power switch over a predetermined period when the flashlight is turned on.
• Preferably the predetermined period is set to be greater than the time required for the main power circuit to reach a steady state after the flashlight is turned on. If the lamp includes a filament, the predetermined period is preferably greater than the thermal time constant of the filament. Typically, the predetermined period will be 10 milliseconds or more, and more preferably the predetermined period will be 40 milliseconds or more.
• In one implementation, the power control circuit varies the voltage of the signal according to an exponential function, preferably an increasing exponential function. Preferably the time constant of the exponential function is determined by the values of a resistor and a capacitor included in the power control circuit.
• The electronic power switch may comprise a transistor, such as a field effect transistor or a bipolar transistor. Preferably, the electronic power switch comprises a MOSFET. If the electronic power switch comprises a field effect transistor, the signal is applied to the gate of the transistor.
• The flashlight may further comprise a microprocessor and a mechanical switch for opening and closing an electrical path between the power source and the microprocessor. The microprocessor provides a control signal to the power control circuit in response to an activation signal received from the mechanical switch, and the power control circuit modifies the control signal to produce the signal applied to the electronic power switch. The voltage of the control signal preferably varies according to a step function when the flashlight is turned on, while the signal applied to the electronic power switch preferably increases over time according to an exponential function.
• In another separate aspect of the present invention it is contemplated that elements of the aforementioned aspects of the present invention may be combined.
• Further aspects, objects, desirable features, and advantages of the invention will be better understood from the following description considered in connection with accompanying drawings in which various embodiments of the disclosed invention are illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a flashlight according to one embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the flashlight ofFIG. 1 taken through the plane indicated by2-2.
• FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the forward section of the flashlight ofFIG. 1 taken through the plane indicated by2-2.
• FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cross-sectional view shown inFIG. 3.
• FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram for the flashlight ofFIG. 1 illustrating the relationship of the electronic circuitry according to one embodiment of the invention.
• FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram of one embodiment of a debounce circuit for a momentary switch that may be employed in a flashlight according to the present invention.
• FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram of one embodiment of a microcontroller that may be employed in a flashlight according to present invention.
• FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram of one embodiment of a power control circuit that may be employed in a flashlight according to the present invention.
• FIG. 9A is a circuit diagram of one embodiment of a short prevention circuit according to the present invention.
• FIG. 9B is a circuit diagram of one example of a power supply circuit for a comparing device employed in short prevention circuit ofFIG. 9A.
• FIG. 10A shows three oscilloscope traces reflecting (1) how the voltage of a control signal from the microcontroller of the flashlight shown inFIG. 1 may vary over time when the flashlight is initially turned on, (2) how the voltage of a signal from the power control circuit varies in response to the control signal of the microcontroller, and (3) how the current supplied to the lamp of the flashlight varies in response to the signal from the power control circuit.
• FIG. 10B shows three oscilloscope traces for a flashlight without a power control circuit according to the present invention, but was otherwise the same as the flashlight used to obtain the oscilloscope traces shown inFIG. 10A. The three traces shown inFIG. 10B reflect (1) how the voltage of a control signal from a microcontroller of a flashlight without a power control circuit may vary over time when the flashlight is initially turned on, (2) how the gate-to-source voltage of the electronic power switch will vary in response to the voltage of the control signal, and (3) how the current supplied to the lamp of the flashlight varies in response to the voltage applied to the electronic power switch.
• FIG. 11A is an oscilloscope trace showing current flow over time in the main power circuit of a flashlight equipped with a power control circuit according to the present invention when the flashlight is initially turned on.
• FIG. 11B is an oscilloscope trace showing current flow over time in the main power circuit of a flashlight without a power control circuit according to the present invention when the flashlight is initially turned on.
• FIG. 12 shows three oscilloscope traces for a flashlight according to the present invention that was operated in a strobe mode. The three traces reflect: (1) the voltage of the control signal from the microprocessor, (2) the voltage of the modified control signal generated by the power control circuit, and (3) the current flow through the electronic power switch.
• FIG. 13 shows three oscilloscope traces for a flashlight according to the present invention that was operated in a power reduction mode. The three traces reflect: (1) the voltage of the control signal from the microprocessor, (2) the voltage of the modified control signal generated by the power control circuit, and (3) the current flow through the electronic power switch.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
• To facilitate the description of the invention, any reference numeral representing an element in one figure will represent the same element in any other figure.
• Aflashlight10 according to one embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in perspective inFIG. 1. Theflashlight10 incorporates a number of distinct aspects of the present invention. While these distinct aspects have all been incorporated into theflashlight10, it is to be expressly understood that the present invention is not restricted toflashlight10 described herein. Rather, the present invention is directed to each of the inventive features of the flashlight described below individually as well as collectively. Further, as will become apparent to those skilled in the art after reviewing the present disclosure, one or more aspects of the present invention may also be incorporated into other electronic devices, including cell phones, portable radios, toys, as well as other non-portable lighting devices.
• Referring toFIGS. 1-4,flashlight10 includes abarrel21 enclosed at a rearward end by atail cap22 and at a forward end by a head and switchassembly23.
• Barrel21 is preferably made out of aluminum. As is known in the art,barrel21 may be provided with atextured surface27 along its axial extent, preferably in the form of machined knurling.
• In the present embodiment,barrel21 is configured to enclose a rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack60.Battery pack60 may comprise one or more lithium-ion battery cells. Preferablybattery pack60 comprises at least two lithium-ion cells disposed physically in a series or end to end arrangement, while being electrically connected in parallel. In other embodiments, it may be desirable to electrically connect the two cells in series. Further,barrel21 may also be configured to include abattery pack60 comprising two or more lithium-ion batteries or cells physically disposed in a parallel or side-by-side arrangement, while being electrically connected in series or parallel depending on the design requirements of the flashlight. Furthermore, while a lithium-ion battery pack60 is used as the power source for the illustrated embodiment offlashlight10, in other embodiments of the present invention, other DC power sources may be employed, including, for example, dry cell batteries as well as other types of rechargeable batteries.
• The rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack60 preferably includes built-in shortcircuit protection circuitry86, as best seen inFIG. 5. Battery packs of this type are readily available in the market from such providers as BYD Company Limited and will interrupt the flow of current from the battery pack if the electrodes of the battery back are shorted together.
• Tail cap22 is also preferably made out of aluminum and is configured to engage mating threads provided on the interior ofbarrel21 as is conventional in the art. However, other suitable means may also be employed for attachingtail cap22 tobarrel21. As best seen inFIG. 2, a one-way valve68, such as a lip seal, may be provided at the interface between thetail cap22 andbarrel21 to provide a watertight seal. However, as those skilled in the art will appreciate, other forms of sealing elements, such as an O-ring, may be used instead of one-way valve68 to form a watertight seal. Oneway valve68 is retained in acircumferential channel70 formed intail cap22. Further one-way valve68 is oriented so as to prevent flow from outside into the interior of theflashlight10, while simultaneously allowing overpressure within the flashlight to escape or vent to atmosphere.
• The design and use of one-way valves in flashlights is more fully described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,113,326 to Anthony Maglica, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
• If made out of aluminum, the surfaces ofbarrel21 andtail cap22 are preferably anodized with the exception of those surfaces used to make electrical contact with another metal surface for purposes of forming the electrical circuit of the flashlight. In the present embodiment, an electrical path is formed betweenbarrel21 and thecase electrode61 of the lithium-ion battery pack60 byconductive member72 andspring74. In addition to forming part of the electrical path between the barrel and case electrode,spring74 also urgesbattery pack60 forward so that thecenter electrode63 ofbattery pack60 is urged into one end of spring biasedconductor76, which is held by and extends through retainingbolt57.
• The head and switchassembly23 of the present embodiment includes asupport structure28 to which a number of other components may be mounted, including, for example,head24,face cap25, chargingcontact44, printedcircuit board46,sleeve50,switch52, andmoveable lamp assembly100. For ease of manufacturing,support structure28 is preferably made out of injection molded plastic.Head24,face cap25, andsleeve50, on the other hand, are preferably made from anodized aluminum.
• In the present embodiment,support structure28 is a hollow support structure comprising afront section31, amidsection33 and anaft section35. Thefront section31 comprises a generally cup-shapedreceiving area37. Themidsection33, which extends rearward from thefront section31, includes a generally cylindricalinner surface39. And, theaft section35, which extends rearward from themidsection33, includes two opposing arcuate threaded fingers55 (only one of which is visible in the cross-sections ofFIGS. 2-4).
• Theface cap25 retainslens26 andreflector30 relative to thesupport structure28. In the presentembodiment face cap25 is configured to thread ontoexternal threads29 provided on thefront section31 of thesupport structure28. In other implementations, however, other forms of attachment may be adopted. As illustrated,reflector30 is positioned within the cup-shapedreceiving area37 of thefront section31 ofsupport structure28. Corresponding alignment features32,34 may be provided on the outer surface ofreflector30 and the internal mating surface ofsupport structure28, respectively, to ensure proper alignment between thereflector30 andsupport structure28.
• Head24 has a diameter greater than that of thebarrel21 andsleeve50.Head24 is also adapted to pass externally over the exterior of thebarrel21 andsleeve50.Internal surface36 ofhead24 is configured to mate with theouter surface38 ofsupport structure28 at select locations to properly positionhead24 relative to facecap25 andsupport structure28. Acompressible retaining ring40, such as a rubber O-ring, may be seated in achannel41 extending around theouter surface38 ofsupport structure28 to create an interference fit between thesupport structure28 and a feature provided on theinternal surface36 ofhead24, such ascircumferential lip42.Compressible retaining ring40 also prevents moisture and dirt from entering the head assembly between thesupport structure28 and forward end ofhead24.
• External charging contacts44 and48 are provided at the forward section offlashlight10. While chargingcontacts44 and48 are provided in the present embodiment in the form of charging rings to simplify the recharging procedure, inother embodiments contacts44 and48 may take on other forms. In the present embodiment, printedcircuit board46 is interposed between chargingcontacts44 and48. Printedcircuit board46 is configured to be in electrical communication with chargingcontacts44 and48, while simultaneously isolatingcharging contacts44,48 from direct electrical communication with one another through a short circuit. Electrical communication between printedcircuit board46 and chargingcontacts44,48 may be established by providing a conductive trace at the interface formed between printedcircuit board46 and each of the charging contacts.
• External charging contact44 is preferably an aluminum ring disposed on theexternal surface38 ofsupport structure28, preferably toward the aft end of the mid-section33. Ifbarrel21 is made out of anodized aluminum,external charging contact48 may be integrally formed inbarrel21 by machining a portion of the barrel to remove any anodizing from the location of chargingcontact48 or by masking the location of chargingcontact48 prior to anodizing thebarrel21. In the present embodiment, chargingcontact48 is located at the forward end ofbarrel21.
• As noted above, the head and switchassembly23 also preferably includes asleeve50.Sleeve50 is disposed over theexternal surface38 of thesupport structure28 so that it extends forward from the chargingcontact44 to a position that is under the trailingedge53 ofhead24.Sleeve50 is preferably made out of anodized aluminum, but may also be made out of other metals or plastics. As a result of the foregoing construction, with the exception of the external surface formed by printedcircuit board48 andswitch52, all of the external surfaces of theflashlight10 according to the present embodiment may be made out of metal, and more preferably aluminum.
• Sleeve50 is provided with ahole51 through which switch cover54 ofswitch52 extends. The outer surface ofsleeve50 surroundingswitch cover54 may be beveled to facilitate tactile operation offlashlight10.Sleeve50 may also be provided with agroove56 about its circumference at a location forward of the trailingedge53 ofhead24 for positioning a sealingelement58, such as an O-ring, to form a watertight seal between thehead24 andsleeve50. Similarly, switch cover54 is preferably made from molded rubber or latex. As best illustrated inFIGS. 3 and 4, switch cover54 is preferably configured to prevent moisture and dirt from entering the head and switchassembly23 throughhole51.
• In the present embodiment,lamp59 is removeably mounted within the head and switchassembly23 so as to extend intoreflector30 through a central hole provided therein. In particular,lamp59 is mounted onmoveable lamp assembly100, which in turn is slideably mounted within themid-section33 ofsupport structure28.
• Whilelamp59 may be any suitable device that generates light, in thepresent embodiment lamp59 is preferably an incandescent lamp bulb, and more preferably a bi-pin incandescent lamp bulb. In other implementations of the invention, however,lamp59 may comprise, for example, an LED lamp or an arc lamp.
• In the present embodiment,moveable lamp assembly100 includes anadjustable ball housing102, a ball-shapedadjustable bulb holder104, anend cap106, aretainer108,retention spring110, a springbiased conductor112,spring114,conductor post116 andcam follower assembly117.
• As seen inFIGS. 3 and 4,lamp59 is held by the ball-shapedadjustable bulb holder104. The ball-shapedadjustable bulb holder104 is in turn adjustably mounted withinadjustable ball housing102. In this regard,adjustable ball housing102 is partially enclosed at its forward end bywall103.Wall103 includes aconcave mating surface118 against which ball-shapedbulb holder104 is adjustably retained.Retainer108, which is adapted to slide withinadjustable ball housing102, includes aconcave surface120 designed to slideably mate with the opposite side of ball-shapedadjustable bulb holder104.End cap106 encloses the aft end ofadjustable ball housing102 and is mounted in a fixed relationship thereto.Retention spring104 is interposed between thefixed end cap106 and theslideable retainer108, thereby biasingretainer108 toward the forward end of the flashlight untilconcave surface120 engages ball-shapedadjustable bulb holder104. As a result, ball-shapedadjustable bulb holder104 is adjustably held betweenconcave surface118 ofwall103 andconcave surface120 ofretainer108.
• Ball-shapedadjustable bulb holder104 includes ametal portion122, afirst contact holder124, and asecond contact holder126. In the present embodiment, themetal portion122 comprises a zone of a sphere with a through hole.First contact holder124 andsecond contact holder126 are made from a non-conductive material, such as plastic, and are configured to create an interference fit within the through hole ofmetal portion122. Thesecond contact holder126 includes a head portion shaped like a sector of a sphere so that in combination with themetal portion122 the ball-shapedadjustable bulb holder104 is provided with a substantially spherical outer surface.
• The electrodes oflamp59 extend into thefirst contact holder122 where they preferably frictionally engage with positive and negative electrode contacts, respectively (not shown). One of the electrode contacts, the negative in the present embodiment, is configured to extend between the mating surfaces of the first andsecond contact holders124,126 and make electrical connection with themetal portion122 of ball-shapedadjustable bulb holder104. The other electrode contact, the positive in the present embodiment, extends through both the first andsecond contact holders124,126 and includes a surface for mating with the springbiased conductor112.
• The construction ofmoveable lamp assembly100 is described in detail in connection with FIGS. 6-18 of pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/802,265, filed Mar. 16, 2004, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
• Themetal portion122 of ball-shapedadjustable bulb holder104 is in electrical communication withadjustable ball housing102, which is also preferably made out of metal.Adjustable ball housing102 is in turn in electrical communication withleaf spring conductor128, a portion of which is in slideable contact with the exterior ofadjustable ball housing102.Leaf spring conductor128 is also in electrical communication with printedcircuit board46 atcontact pad62 on printedcircuit board46.
• Contactpost116 extends throughend cap106 and switchhousing80. Contactpost116 is frictionally held byswitch housing80 so that its aft end is in electrical communication with printedcircuit board46 at via64. Via64 extends through the center of printedcircuit board46 in the present embodiment. At its forward end,contact post116 is slideably supported within the through hole provided inend cap106. A cup-shapedportion130 provided on the forward end ofcontact post116 is configured to hold one end ofspring114 while the other end ofspring114 forces spring biasedconductor112 into contact with an exposed portion of the electrode contact extending through thesecond contact holder126 of ball-shapedadjustable bulb holder104. Springbiased conductor112 is also cup-shaped in the present embodiment and has a diameter slightly greater than that of cup-shapedportion130 so that it can slideably fit over the exterior surface of the cup-shapedportion130 and holdspring114 therebetween.
• The head and switchassembly23 is attached tobarrel21 by way of the two arcuate threadedfingers55 forming theaft section35 ofsupport structure28. The two arcuate threadedfingers55 extend through printedcircuit board46. The arcuate threadedfingers55 are provided with both external and internal threads. The external threads mate with corresponding internal threads provided within the forward end ofbarrel21. Once the head and switchassembly23 is threaded into thebarrel21, retainingbolt57 is threaded into the internal threads of the arcuate threadedfingers55. Preferably the retainingbolt57 includes a taperedshaft59 configured to spread the arcuate threadedfingers55, thereby locking the head and switchassembly23 to the barrel.
• Springbiased conductor76 is compressibly held withincentral cavity66 of retainingbolt57 between printedcircuit board46 andend wall67. Springbiased conductor76 also electrically couples via64 on printedcircuit board46 tocenter electrode63 of rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack60.
• FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram forflashlight10 and schematically represents a preferred embodiment of the electronic circuitry according to the present invention. As shown inFIG. 5,flashlight10 includes amain power circuit400, aswitch52, adebounce circuit500, amicroprocessor control circuit600, apower control circuit700, chargingcontacts44,48, and ashort protection circuit800. In the present embodiment,debounce circuit500,microprocessor control circuit600,power control circuit700, andshort protection circuit800 are all formed on printedcircuit board46. In other implementations, however, other arrangements are possible.
• Main power circuit400 of the present embodiment comprises, rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack60,electrical path402,lamp59,electrical path404, andelectronic power switch702.
• As best seen inFIG. 5, rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack60 includes built in shortcircuit protection circuitry86. The built in shortcircuit protection circuitry86 is disposed in series with lithium-ion cell88 within lithium-ion battery pack60. In the illustrated embodiment, the short circuit protection circuitry is disposed between the negative electrode of lithium-ion cell88 and the negative electrode ofbattery pack60. Built-in shortcircuit protection circuitry86 could, however, also be provided between the positive electrode of lithium-ion cell88 and the positive electrode ofbattery pack60.
• Electrical path402 connects thecenter electrode63 of rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack60 to the positive electrode oflamp59. In the flashlight illustrated inFIGS. 1-4,electrical path402 comprises the following elements: springbiased conductor76, via64,conductor post116,spring114, springbiased conductor112, and the positive electrode contact disposed within ball-shapedadjustable bulb holder104.
• Electrical path404 connects the negative electrode oflamp59 to thecase electrode61 of the rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack. Further,electrical path404 is opened and closed to complete and break themain power circuit400 byelectronic power switch702, which is described in more detail below. In the flashlight illustrated inFIGS. 1-4,electrical path404 comprises: the negative electrode contact disposed within ball-shapedadjustable bulb holder104, themetal portion122 of ball-shapedadjustable bulb holder104,adjustable ball housing102,leaf spring conductor128,contact pad62,conductive trace406,electronic power switch702,conductive trace408,barrel21,conductive member72 intail cap22, andspring74.
• Whileelectronic power switch702 is located on printedcircuit board46 in the present embodiment,electronic power switch702 may also be located in other places withinflashlight10.
• Electronic power switch702 is electrically coupled to contactpad62 viaconductive trace406, which is also provided on printedcircuit board46.Electronic power switch702 is also electrically coupled tobarrel21 viaconductive trace408, which extends on printedcircuit board46 fromelectronic power switch702 to the interface between printedcircuit board46 andbarrel21.
• It is noted that other thanelectronic power switch702, the constituent members ofelectrical paths402,404 are not critical to the operation ofpower circuit400 according to the present aspect of the invention and any combination of members as may be appropriate for forming the electrical paths of a power circuit for a particular flashlight design may be employed.
• Electronic power switch702 selectively opens and closes theelectrical path404 between thelamp59 andcase electrode61 of the rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack60. Whenelectronic power switch702 is closed, current is permitted to flow throughmain power circuit400.
• The opening and closing ofelectronic power switch702 is controlled, in the present embodiment, byswitch52,microcontroller circuit600 andpower control circuit700.
• Manipulation ofswitch52 generates a signal which determines whetherelectronic power switch702 opens or closes, or repeatedly opens and closes in a manner hereinafter described.
• In the present embodiment, switch52 is a momentary switch. Whenswitch52 is depressed,plunger69 ofswitch52 pushes snapdome84 ofconductor82 into electrical communication withconductor post116. A signal frombattery pack60 is then transmitted to printedcircuit board46 throughcontact pad65. When this signal is transmitted to printedcircuit board46,electronic power switch702 may be signaled to open or close theelectrical path404, thereby permittingflashlight10 to be turned on or off accordingly.
• Unlike mechanical switches known in the art, switch52 does not conduct current to thelamp59. Instead, switch52 merely provides an activation or deactivation signal. In the present embodiment, this activation or deactivation signal is sent tomicrocontroller circuit600, which in turn signalselectronic power switch702 throughpower control circuit700 to open or close accordingly. Themain power circuit400 in the present embodiment is thus indirectly activated or deactivated by the manipulation ofswitch52 by a user.
• Because the current from rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack60 to thelamp59 passes throughelectronic power switch702, and not switch52,switch52 may be designed to operate under very low current.
• In the illustrated embodiment shown inFIG. 5, switch52,debounce circuit500,microcontroller circuit600,power control circuit700, andelectronic power switch702 are all in electrical communication. Whenswitch52 is initially depressed, a signal is sent to themicrocontroller circuit600 through thedebounce circuit500. Themicrocontroller circuit600 in response sends a signal through thepower control circuit700 to theelectronic power switch702. In response, theelectronic power switch702 permits current to flow tolamp59 from the lithium-ion battery pack60 at a controlled increasing rate over a predetermined period. A more detailed description ofdebounce circuit500,microcontroller circuit600,power control circuit700, andelectronic power switch702 are discussed below in connection withFIGS. 6,7, and8.
• FIG. 6 is a detailed schematic of one embodiment of adebounce circuit500 that may be employed in the present invention.Debounce circuit500 may be used to reduce the noise, current, and voltage of the signal sent fromswitch52 to themicrocontroller circuit600.
• A signal to turnlamp59 on or off enters thedebounce circuit500 throughcontact pad65 when a user manipulatesswitch52 in a manner so as to causeplunger69 to forcesnap dome84 into contact withconductor post116. As a result of this manipulation, a signal is sent viacontact pad65 throughdebounce circuit500. The output of thedebounce circuit500 is provided atoutput507, which is in electrical communication withmicrocontroller circuit600 illustrated inFIG. 7.
• In one embodiment ofdebounce circuit500,capacitors502,504,505, andresistor503 are coupled in parallel to contactpad65 andoutput507, whileresistor506 is serially interposed betweencontact pad65 andoutput57, preferably down stream of the parallel branches forcapacitor502 andresistor503.
• Those skilled in the art will know how to design adebounce circuit500 to achieve a suitable signal level tomicrocontroller circuit600. In the design illustrated inFIG. 6, however, it has been found thatresistor506 may have a resistance of 10 KΩ,resistor503 may have a resistance of 1 KΩ, andcapacitors502,504, and505 may each have a capacitance of 0.1 μF.
• FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram ofmicrocontroller circuit600. In the present embodiment,microcontroller circuit600 includes amicrocontroller601 having aninput602 and twooutputs604,606. Further, the GND pin ofmicrocontroller601 is directly connected to ground, and the Vcc pin of themicrocontroller601 is electrically connected tobattery pack60 viaconductive trace608 and to ground throughcapacitor610 viaconductive trace612. The signal provided ontrace608 may also be a battery signal that has been filtered by a diode, although such filtering is unnecessary. If such filtering is performed, it may be performed in theshort protection circuit800 as described below.
• A signal fromoutput507 of thedebounce circuit500 entersmicrocontroller601 throughinput pin602.Microcontroller601 may be programmed to provide for different user selectable functions, the selection of which may be controlled by the nature of the input signal received oninput pin602. Thus, for example, ifflashlight10 is in the off state and switch52 is depressed and released,microcontroller601 may be programmed to provide a signal onoutput pin606 that will turnflashlight10 on.Microcontroller601 may further be programmed so that theflashlight10 will stay on with a second depression ofswitch52 until the second release ofswitch52. Other functions may also be programmed intomicrocontroller601. For example,microcontroller601 may be programmed such that a user may select a power reduction mode by depressingswitch52 and holding it down for two seconds or a strobe mode by depressingswitch52 and holding for 4 seconds.
• Ifflashlight10 is in the off state,microcontroller601 will send a control signal out throughoutput pin606 in response to a signal received throughinput pin602. The control signal fromoutput pin606 is provided to input707 ofpower control circuit700 where it is modified in a desired manner before being supplied overtrace708 toelectronic power switch702 so thatelectronic power switch702 is gradually closed in response to the control signal, thereby limiting the initial in-rush of current throughlamp59.
• In connection with other operational modes programmed intomicrocontroller601, it may be desirable to modify the control signal produced bymicrocontroller601 in an alternative manner. Accordingly, in the illustrated embodiment,microcontroller601 also includes asecond output604 for providing a second control signal topower control circuit700. A control signal fromoutput pin604 is provided to input709 ofpower control circuit700. The control signal fromoutput pin604 is modified withinpower control circuit700 before being provided ontrace708 toelectronic power switch702 so thatpower switch702 is closed at a different rate in response to a control signal provided onoutput pin604 ofmicrocontroller601.
• FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram ofpower control circuit700, which is coupled toelectronic power switch702 viaconductive trace708. Anelectronic power switch702 is selected that permits different levels of current to flow throughmain power circuit400 in response to different signal levels provided attrace708. In the present embodiment,electronic power switch702 comprises an n-channel MOSFET705. The gate of the MOSFET is electrically connected to trace708, the drain to thecenter electrode63 ofbattery pack60 throughinput706, and the source to ground (e.g., thecase electrode61 of battery pack60). An n-channel MOSFET works well in the present invention due to its transfer characteristics, namely that the drain current is zero (i.e., theelectronic power switch702 is open) when the gate-to-source voltage is below approximately 0.75 Volts.
• While the present embodiment employs an n-channel MOSFET705, it will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the present disclosure that other types of electronic power switches may also be employed in the present invention. For example, a p-channel MOSFET could be used in place of the n-channel MOSFET ifelectronic power switch702 were provided on the high-side of main power circuit400 (i.e., prior to lamp59). Similarly, other types of transistors may also be employed forelectronic power switch702, including other field effect transistors, such as JFETs and DE MOSFETs, and bipolar junction transistors.
• As noted above,power control circuit700 modifies the control signals received fromoutput pins604,606 ofmicrocontroller601. In particular,power control circuit700 is designed to modify the control signals so that they vary over time based on the transfer characteristics of the employedelectronic power switch702 and the rate at whichelectronic power switch702 is to be closed. Preferably,power circuit700 modifies at least one of the control signals received frommicrocontroller601 so that when the control signal reacheselectronic power switch702,electronic power switch702 is gradually closed over time, as opposed to being closed instantaneously.
• Whenflashlight10 is in the off state, the signals atinputs707 and709 are both high impedance signals so they are effectively not part ofpower control circuit700. Further, the value ofresistor703 is selected so that whenflashlight10 is in the off state,resistor703 pulls the gate voltage ofMOSFET705 to zero volts (through resistor701) so thatelectronic power switch702 is open.
• The degree to whichelectronic power switch702 is closed and hence the amount of current permitted to flow inmain power circuit400 is ultimately controlled in the illustrated embodiment by the voltage acrosscapacitor710, which also correspond to the gate-to-source voltage ofMOSFET705. When a control signal is provided oninputs707 or709, the voltage acrosscapacitor710 will increase exponentially according to the equation V_c=E(1−e^−t/τ) until the maximum voltage of the control signal is achieved. In the foregoing equation, E is the voltage of the control signal applied to input707 or709 and τ is the time constant for the circuit and is determined by the equation τ=RC. Further, while it takes a period of approximately 5τ before a capacitor is fully charged, during a period of 1τ the voltage acrosscapacitor710 will reach approximately 63% of the voltage of the applied control signal frommicrocontroller601. Thus, by appropriately selecting R and C for each of the circuit paths corresponding toinputs707 and709, the rate at which the gate-to-source voltage increases, and hence how quickly theelectronic power switch702 is closed, after a control signal is provided frommicrocontroller601, may be controlled.
• As noted above, whenflashlight10 is initially turned on, a control signal is provided fromoutput pin606 ofmicrocontroller601 to input707 ofpower control circuit700. As a result, the signal atinput707 goes from high impedance to, for example, a 3 Volt signal instantaneously. The voltage acrosscapacitor710, and hence the gate-to-source voltage will, however, increase exponentially to 3 Volts according to the formula given above. By gradually increasing the voltage of the control signal to reachelectronic power switch702 overtrace708 in the foregoing manner, the current permitted to flow tolamp59 may be increased at a controlled rate. In turn, by increasing the amount of current sent tolamp59 at a controlled rate,lamp59 may be permitted to achieve its steady state resistance at a controlled, reduced rate, thereby protectinglamp59 from the normal large initial surge of current frombattery pack60 when the flashlight is turned on.
• In a preferred embodiment,resistor701 has a resistance of 470 KΩ,resistor703 has a resistance of 1KΩand capacitor710 has a capacitance of 0.1 μF. This combination ofresistor701 andcapacitor710 forms a low pass filter with a time constant of 47 ms (470,000×0.000001=0.047 seconds or 47 milliseconds). During thisperiod capacitor710 will be charged to approximately 63% of the voltage of the control signal provided on input707 (or 0.63*5 Volts=3.15 Volts). This means that it will take approximately 47 ms for the gate-to-source voltage ofMOSFET705 to pass from the off region, through the current limited region, to the linear region of the transistor. During this time, the filament oflamp59 is heated while limiting the in-rush of current to a more desirable level.
• As noted above, a control signal provided onoutput604 ofmicrocontroller601 may be provided to input709 for purposes of closingelectronic power switch702 at a different rate than that achieved by a control signal provided atinput707. For example,resistor704 may be set at 1.0 KΩ, whilecapacitor710 is still set at a capacitance of 0.1 μF. This combination results in a low pass filter circuit with a time constant of 0.0001 seconds (0.1 ms). Thus, under this configuration,capacitor710 will be charged to approximately 63% of the voltage of the control signal provided at input709 (or 3.15 Volts in the present embodiment) in 0.1 ms.
• Accordingly, a control signal provided oninput709 ofpower control circuit700 may be used to close and openelectronic power switch702 at much higher frequency than a control signal provided oninput707. This feature may be desirable for certain user selectable functions, such as a power reduction mode. For example, if a user selects a power reduction mode by depressingswitch52 for an appropriate duration, themicrocontroller601 may send out an initial control signal fromoutput pin606 to input707 to energizelamp59 relatively slowly as described above. After thelamp59 has already been turned on and the filament has been heated so that it is at or near its steady state resistance,microcontroller601 may send out a square wave pulse modulated control signal, such as the one shown inFIG. 13, fromoutput pin604 to input709 ofpower control circuit700 and stop sending out a control signal onoutput606.
• Based on a time constant of 0.1 ms, the pulse modulated signal sent out fromoutput pin604 ofmicrocontroller601 could be modulated at a rate between approximately 5 kHz and 100 Hz, and still be at a frequency that is much higher than the visible flicker rate of 60 Hz. Further, due to the short cycle time between each pulse, the filament oflamp59 will not cool sufficiently between cycles so as to result in undue stress by the high frequency of the on, off cycles. As a result,flashlight10 may be operated in a manner that will permitlamp59 to, for example, operate at half power and thus consume half the energy it would normally consume over a given period of time.
• Although the power control circuit of the present embodiment has been described as employing an RC circuit to modify the control signal provided toelectronic power switch702, other forms of circuits with time constants, such as RL and RLC circuits, may be employed inpower control circuit700 as well. In addition, circuits that produce linear, sinusoidal, saw tooth, or triangular waveforms may also be used forpower control circuit700. Further, the benefits ofpower control circuit700 may be realized in a flashlight in which the control signal delivered to the power control circuit comes directly from a mechanical switch as opposed to a microcontroller or in which any form of DC power source is substituted forbattery pack60.
• FIG. 10A graphically demonstrates the beneficial dampening effects thatpower control circuit700 may provide tolamp59 whenflashlight10 is initially turned on. In contrast,FIG. 10B graphically demonstrates that the rate of change of current flow and the peak current flow throughelectronic power switch702 is much greater when apower control circuit700 according to the present invention is not controlling the signal toelectronic power switch702.
• FIG. 10A shows threeoscilloscope traces1002,1004,1006. The oscilloscope traces ofFIG. 10A were obtained from a flashlight having apower control circuit700 as described above in connection withFIG. 8 to drive anelectronic power switch702 comprising aMOSFET705. Further, theresistor701 had a value of 470 KΩ and thecapacitor710 had a value of 0.1 μF. The time constant for the power control circuit was thus 47 ms.
• The oscilloscope traces ofFIG. 10B were obtained at a time when the flashlight went from the off state to the on state and respectively reflect (1) how the voltage of the control signal from themicrocontroller601 of the flashlight varied over time when the flashlight was initially turned on, (2) how the voltage of the signal from thepower control circuit700, and hence the gate-to-source voltage ofMOSFET705, varied in response to the control signal of the microcontroller, and (3) how the current that traveled throughMOSFET705, and hence supplied to thelamp59 of the flashlight, varied in response to the signal from the power control circuit.
• The x-axis ofFIG. 10A represents time in milliseconds, and the distance between each of the vertical grid lines crossing the x-axis represents 40 milliseconds. The y-axis ofFIG. 10A, on the other hand, represents different units or values depending on which signal or curve is being referenced.
• InFIG. 10A,trace1002 is an oscilloscope trace of the voltage of the control signal output frommicrocontroller601 when theflashlight10 was initially turned on. The spacing between each of the grid lines crossing the y-axis fortrace1002 represent 2 Volts. As illustrated in the graph, the voltage ofcontrol signal1002 basically corresponded to a step wave. Hence, the voltage of the control signal went from a low condition of 0 Volts to a high condition of 3 Volts whenflashlight10 was turned on.
• Trace1004 is an oscilloscope trace of the voltage of the control signal output frommicrocontroller601 after it passed throughpower control circuit700 viainput707. Thus, it corresponds to the gate-to-source voltage ofMOSFET705. As withsignal1002, the spacing between each of the grid lines crossing the y-axis represents 2 Volts fortrace1004. The voltage of this modified control signal exhibits an exponential growth function as discussed above. This exponential increase in the voltage of the signal sent toelectronic power switch702closed power switch702 at a controlled rate. Hence, the rate of change of current flow and the peak current flow throughMOSFET705 andlamp59 was reduced. This can be seen by comparingtrace1006 to correspondingtrace1012 shown inFIG. 10B, both of which are discussed below.
• Trace1006 ofFIG. 10A is an oscilloscope trace of the current flow throughMOSFET705, and hencelamp59, that resulted from the gate-to-source voltage being controlled in the manner illustrated bytrace1004. The spacing between each of the grid lines crossing the y-axis represents 2 Amps fortrace1006.FIG. 11A showstrace1006, but at an increased time scale. The time scale used inFIG. 11A is ten times greater than that used inFIG. 10A; thus, the space between each of the vertical grid lines inFIG. 11A represents 4 milliseconds. The current scale on the y-axis forFIG. 11A, on the other hand, is the same as that fortrace1006 inFIG. 10A.
• The peak current that was permitted to flow throughlamp59 when theflashlight10 was turned on was determined to be 3.75 Amps in this example of the present invention. The peak current may be determined fromcurve1006 shown inFIGS. 10A and 11A by measuring the height of the current peak incurve1006 relative to its baseline. BecauseFIG. 11A shows current flow throughMOSFET705 at a time scale greater than that shown inFIG. 10A, however, a more accurate measurement of the peak current can be made fromFIG. 11A.
• FIG. 10B shows threeoscilloscope traces1008,1010,1012. The flashlight used to obtain the traces ofFIG. 10B. was the same as the flashlight used to obtain the oscilloscope traces shown inFIG. 10A, except that it was modified so that the control signal frommicroprocessor601 was fed directly into the gate ofMOSFET705, thus bypassing the power control circuit according to the present invention. As withFIG. 10A, the oscilloscope traces shown inFIG. 10B were taken at a time when the flashlight went from the off state to the on state and respectively reflect (1) how the voltage of the control signal from the microcontroller of the flashlight varied over time when the flashlight was initially turned on and the control signal was fed directly into the gate ofMOSFET705, thus bypassing thepower control circuit700, (2) how the gate-to-source voltage ofMOSFET705 varied in response to the voltage of the control signal under such circumstances, and (3) how the current that flowed through the electronic power switch, and hence supplied to the lamp of the flashlight, varied in response to the voltage applied to the gate of electronic power switch.
• The x-axis ofFIG. 10B represents time in milliseconds, and the distance between each of the vertical grid lines crossing the x-axis represents 40 milliseconds. The x-axis, therefore, employs the same scale as used inFIG. 10A. The y-axis ofFIG. 10B, like the y-axis ofFIG. 10A, represents different units or values depending on which signal or curve is being referenced.
• InFIG. 10B,trace1008 is an oscilloscope trace of the voltage of the control signal output frommicrocontroller601 when the flashlight was initially turned on. The spacing between each of the grid lines crossing the y-axis fortrace1002 represent 2 Volts like inFIG. 10A. As demonstrated in the graph, the voltage ofcontrol signal1002 basically corresponds to a step wave. Hence, the voltage of the control signal went from a low condition of 0 Volts to a high condition of 3 Volts whenflashlight10 was turned on. Notably, however, the leading edge ofcontrol signal1008 is slightly rounded. This is the result of the large in-rush of current that occurred throughlamp59 of the comparative example at the instant the flashlight was turned on. This in-rush of current effectively lowered the voltage of the battery pack momentarily. A similar dip in the voltage of the control signal is observed incurve1002. However, incurve1002, the dip is displaced from the leading edge of the control signal and it is not as large. This is because the peak current flow throughlamp59 is delayed and reduced in the flashlight employing apower control circuit700 according to the present invention.
• Trace1010 is an oscilloscope trace of the gate-to-source voltage ofMOSFET705. As withsignal1008, the spacing between each of the grid lines crossing the y-axis represents 2 Volts. In the present comparative example, the gate-to-source voltage is the same as the voltage of thecontrol signal1008 provided by the microcontroller because the power control circuit for the flashlight was bypassed. As a result of there being nopower control circuit700 interposed betweenmicrocontroller601 andelectronic power switch702,power switch702 was instantaneously driven from a state of non-conduction to a location on the transfer characteristics curve ofMOSFET705 that would permit significantly more current to flow throughMOSFET705 than actually flows throughmain power circuit400. In other words, the rate of change of current flow and the peak current flow throughmain power circuit400 was not limited bypower switch702 while transitioning the flashlight from the off state to the on state. This in turn resulted in the large in-rush of current tolamp59 and the large current spike observed intrace1012 ofFIG. 10B.
• Trace1012 ofFIG. 10B is an oscilloscope trace of the current flow throughMOSFET705, and hencelamp59, versus time when the gate-to-source voltage is not controlled by a power control circuit. The spacing between each of the grid lines crossing the y-axis represents 2 Amps fortrace1012.FIG. 11B showstrace1012, but at an increased time scale. The time scale used inFIG. 11B is ten times greater than that used inFIG. 10B; thus, the space between each of the vertical grid lines inFIG. 11B represents 4 milliseconds andFIG. 11B is on the same time scale asFIG. 11A. The current scale on the y-axis forFIG. 11B, on the other hand, is the same as that fortrace1012 inFIG. 10B as well as that fortrace1006 inFIG. 11A.
• The peak current flow throughMOSFET705 andlamp59 for this comparison example was approximately 7.8 Amps. A comparison ofcurve1006 inFIGS. 10A and 11A tocurve1012 inFIGS. 10B and 11B thus shows that the peak current delivered to thelamp59 was reduced by approximately 4.05 Amps, or by slightly more than 50%, when thepower control circuit700 according to the above described example of the invention was employed to control the rate at whichelectronic power switch702 was closed. A comparison ofcurves1006 and1012 also shows that that the current peak incurve1006 is much broader and softer than the current peak incurve1012. This results from the fact that the rate of change of current flow throughelectronic power switch702 may be markedly reduced in flashlights employing apower control circuit700 according to the present invention.
• It is to be recognized that thecurrent curve1006 shown inFIGS. 10A and 11A is merely one example of how current tolamp59 may be controlled. Indeed, if apower control circuit700 with different time constants or characteristics, anelectronic power switch702 with different transfer characteristics, or a lamp having different characteristics is employed, a different curve may result, thus effecting the amount of the dampening effect achieved.
• The oscilloscope traces ofFIG. 12 were obtained from the same flashlight used to obtainFIG. 10A. The flashlight, however, was being operated in the strobe mode when the oscilloscope traces1002,1004, and1006 ofFIG. 12 were recorded. The strobe mode was selected by holdingswitch52 down for approximately 4 seconds, thus providingmicroprocessor601 an activation signal for the strobe mode.
• As withFIG. 10A, traces1002,1004, and1006 ofFIG. 12 correspond, respectively, to the voltage of the control signal fromoutput pin606 ofmicroprocessor601, the voltage of the modified control signal generated by thepower control circuit700, and the current throughMOSFET705. The y-axis scale for each ofcurves1002,1004, and1006 corresponds to the y-axis scale for the corresponding curves ofFIG. 10A. However, the scale of the x-axis inFIG. 12 is one-tenth the scale that was used inFIG. 10A; thus, the spacing between each of the vertical gridlines inFIG. 12 corresponds to 400 milliseconds. A reduced scale was used so that a series of strobe cycles could be observed.
• As shown inFIG. 12, the voltage of thecontrol signal1002 was modulated according to a square wave during strobe mode operation. Each cycle of the square wave equaled approximately 1.6 seconds. During one half of the cycle, the voltage of the control signal was approximately 3.6 Volts, while during the other half the cycle the voltage of the control signal was 0 Volts. The 800 milliseconds between each on cycle, was much greater than the time required for the filament oflamp59 to cool, and again act like a short circuit when initially powered.
• Trace1004 is an oscilloscope trace of the voltage of the control signal output frommicrocontroller601 after it had passed throughpower control circuit700 viainput707, and thus corresponds to the gate-to-source voltage ofMOSFET705. The voltage of this modified control signal exhibits an exponential growth function at the leading edge of each pulse and an exponential decay function at the trailing edge of each pulse. The exponential growth function is due to the 47 ms time constant of the RC circuit formed by theresistor701 andcapacitor710 combination. The exponential decay function will also have a time constant of approximately 47 ms, becauseresistor703 is only 1 KΩ.
• Because the voltage of thesignal1004 provided toelectronic power switch702 increased exponentially at the leading edge of each pulse in the same manner assignal1004 inFIG. 10A increased,power switch702 was closed at the same controlled rate described above in connection withFIG. 10A. Indeed, if the time scale ofFIG. 12 were to be increased to that used inFIG. 10A or11A, the leading edge of each current pulse shown intrace1006 ofFIG. 12 would look the same as the leading edge of the current pulses intraces1006 of those figures. The rate of change of current flow and the peak current flow throughMOSFET705 andlamp59 were, therefore, reduced each time the lamp was powered during the strobe mode, thus reducing the stresses placed on the filament oflamp59 each time the lamp was powered during a cycle. This was so even though the filament cooled during the “off” portion of each cycle to a temperature that again made the filament behave like a short circuit.
• Because the stresses placed on the filament of the lamp are reduced each time the lamp is powered in a flashlight having a power control circuit according to the present invention, the lamp will have an extended life expectancy. This is particularly beneficial when the flashlight is operated in a strobe mode where the stresses placed on the lamp filament quickly accumulate with each pulsing of the lamp.
• It can be seen fromFIG. 12 that current continues to flow throughlamp59 even aftercontrol signal1002 has switched from a high state to a low state. This is because the trailing edge of each pulse intrace1004 exhibits an exponential decay function. Thus,electronic power switch702 will continue to conduct current until the voltage of the modified control signal drops below a level sufficient to permitMOSFET705 to conduct. Because the time constant of the decay path forpower circuit700 was approximately 47 ms in the present example,MOSFET705 continued to conduct current for approximately 40 to 50 ms after each time thecontrol signal1002 went from the high state to the low state.
• FIG. 13 illustrates the operation offlashlight10 of the illustrated embodiment in a power reduction mode. The power reduction mode was selected by holdingswitch52 down for approximately 2 seconds.FIG. 13 shows threeoscilloscope traces1014,1016,1018. The oscilloscope traces ofFIG. 13 were obtained from a flashlight having apower control circuit700 as described above in connection withFIG. 8 to drive anelectronic power switch702 comprising aMOSFET705. Theresistor701 had a value of 470 KΩ, theresistors703 and704 had a value of 1 KΩ and thecapacitor710 had a value of 0.1 μF. Thus, the time constant corresponding to input707 of thepower control circuit700 was 47 ms while the time constant forinput709 was 0.1 ms.
• The oscilloscope traces ofFIG. 13 were obtained at a time when the flashlight switched from the normal “on” state to a power reduction mode and respectively reflect (1) how the voltage of a control signal of themicrocontroller601 of the flashlight shown inFIG. 1 may vary over time when the flashlight is operated in the power reduction mode, (2) how the voltage of the signal from thepower control circuit700, and hence the gate-to-source voltage ofMOSFET705, varied in response to the control signal of the microcontroller, and (3) how the current that traveled throughMOSFET705, and hence supplied to thelamp59 of the flashlight, varied in response to the signal from the power control circuit.
• The x-axis ofFIG. 13 represents time in milliseconds, and the distance between each of the vertical grid lines crossing the x-axis represents 40 milliseconds. The y-axis ofFIG. 13, however, represents different units or values depending on which signal or curve is being referenced.
• Trace1014 is an oscilloscope trace of the voltage of the control signal that was output fromoutput pin604 ofmicrocontroller601 as theflashlight10 transitioned from a normal “on” mode to a power reduction mode. The flashlight was initially turned on by sending out a control signal fromoutput pin606 to input707 ofpower control circuit700 to energizelamp59 relatively slowly as described above. Once the lamp reached a steady state, however, microcontroller ceased outputting the control signal onoutput pin606 and began outputting the control signal fromoutput pin604 to input709 ofpower control circuit700. The time period reflected in the oscilloscope traces ofFIG. 13 is after this transition had occurred.
• The spacing between each of the grid lines crossing the y-axis fortrace1014 represent 2 Volts. Thus, as seen fromFIG. 13, prior to transitioning to the power reduction mode, the voltage ofcontrol signal1014 was at a steady state of approximately 3 Volts. After the flashlight transitioned to the power reduction mode, the voltage ofcontrol signal1014 corresponded to a square wave. Each cycle of the square wave equaled approximately 8 milliseconds. During one half of the cycle, the voltage of the control signal was approximately 3.6 Volts, while during the other half the cycle the voltage of the control signal was 0 Volts.
• Trace1016 is an oscilloscope trace of the voltage of the control signal after passing throughpower control circuit700 viainput709.Trace1016 also corresponds to the gate-to-source voltage ofMOSFET705.
• As withsignal1014, the spacing between each of the grid lines crossing the y-axis represents 2 Volts fortrace1016. Because thecontrol signal1014 passed through a portion ofpower control circuit700 that had a very small time constant of 0.1 ms, the voltage of the modified control signal shown bycurve1018 tracks very closely to that of the control signal.
• Trace1018 ofFIG. 13 is an oscilloscope trace of the current flow throughMOSFET705, and hencelamp59, that resulted from the gate-to-source voltage being controlled in the manner illustrated bytrace1016. The spacing between each of the grid lines crossing the y-axis represents 2 Amps fortrace1016.
• Fromcurve1018, it is observed that during the “on” portion of each cycle, no current spike is observed. Rather, the current throughMOSFET705 andlamp59 returns to the steady state level of approximately 1 Amp eachtime signal1016 goes to the high condition. This is because the filament is not powered only about 4 ms out of each cycle. This is insufficient for the filament oflamp59 to cool to the point that it again acts like a short circuit. Because the lamp is driven at a rate of approximately 125 Hz, the human observer will not perceive any flickering inlamp59, althoughlamp59 will appear dimmer.
• Lamp59 will appear dimmer becauselamp59 is being operated at half its normal steady state power. The peak power of the flashlight during the power reduction mode is the same as that when the flashlight is operated in the normal mode. However, because the lamp is only powered for half of each cycle during the power reduction mode, its average power will be half its peak power. Further, the lamp will only consume half the energy it consumes during normal operation.
• Notably, the trailing edge of each pulse intrace1016 does not exhibit an exponential decay function corresponding to a time constant of47 ms as seen withpulses1004 inFIG. 12. This is becausecapacitor710 is not drained throughresistor703 when the flashlight is operated in power reduction mode. Instead, when the flashlight is operated in the power reduction mode, another path to ground is provided throughmicrocontroller601, thus keeping the time constant of the decay function forinput709 at about 0.1 ms. This alternative path to ground is necessary if it is desired to drivelamp59 at a rate of more than approximately 10 Hz, which is about the limit of the decay path throughresistors701,703 based on the resistance values used in the present example and significantly below the 125 Hz at whichlamp59 was actually driven in the illustrated example.
• Another and distinct aspect of the present invention relates to providing an improved short protection circuit for exposed charging contacts.
• As best seen fromFIGS. 1 and 5, chargingcontacts44 and48 serve as the interface between a recharging unit and rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack60 offlashlight10. Although not depicted here, it will be appreciated that the cradle of the recharging unit should be fashioned in a way to make electrical contact with theexternal charging contacts44 and48 and holdflashlight10 in place while charging takes place. Because chargingcontacts44 and48 extend around the entire external circumference offlashlight10, however, a recharging unit having a simple cradle design may be used. For example, a cradle design that permitsflashlight10 to be placed into the recharging unit in any radial orientation relative to its longitudinal axis and still be able to make contact with the recharging unit's charging contacts may be used. Thus,flashlight10 does not need to be pressed into the charging unit so that hidden plugs or tabs can be inserted into the flashlight in order to make contact with the charging contacts of the recharging unit.
• Because chargingcontacts44 and46 are externally exposed, however, there is a potential that they become shorted by a metal object in the user's hands during operation. To avoid tripping the shortcircuit protection circuitry86 provided in lithium-ion battery pack60 in such circumstances, ashort protection circuit800 is preferably electrically interposed between at least one of the chargingcontacts44,48 and the rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack60.
• In the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 5, chargingcontact44 is electrically connected toshort protection circuit800, which in turn is connected toelectrical path402 andcenter electrode63 ofbattery pack60 by way ofconductor821 and via64. Chargingcontact48 is also coupled toshort protection circuit800. In addition, it is connected viabarrel21,conductive member72 andspring74 tocase electrode61 ofbattery pack60.
• While in the present embodiment,short protection circuit800 is located on printedcircuit board46,short protection circuit800 could be physically located at any suitable location withinflashlight10.
• Theshort protection circuit800 operates to create an open circuit between thebattery pack60 and at least one of the chargingcontacts44,48 if a short is detected between chargingcontacts44 and48. Thus,flashlight10 may be operated safely without fear that an inadvertent short across chargingcontacts44,48 will interrupt the flow of current frombattery pack60 tolamp59 during operation of the flashlight.
• A detailed description of one embodiment of ashort protection circuit800 is described in connection withFIGS. 9A and 9B below.
• Theshort protection circuit800 shown inFIG. 9A operates, essentially, as an automatic switch between external chargingcontact44 andbattery pack60.
• Circuit800 comprises aswitch816 that is controlled by a comparingdevice812. In the present embodiment,switch816 is interposed in an electrical path between the chargingcontact44 and thepositive electrode63 ofbattery pack60. In particular,conductors820 and823 connect one side ofswitch816 to chargingcontact44 andconductors821 and824 connect the other side ofswitch816 to the center electrode ofbattery pack60.
• Switch816 in the illustrated embodiment is a p-channel MOSFET, but other electronic switching devices may also be employed. For example, other types of transistors may be employed forswitch816, including bipolar junction transistors and other field effect transistors, such as JFETs and DE MOSFETs.
• Comparingdevice812 in the present embodiment comprises a voltage comparator. However, an op amp, microprocessor, or Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) may also be used for comparingdevice812.
• One example of a power supply circuit for comparingdevice812 is shown inFIG. 9B. As shown inFIG. 9B, the Vcc pin of comparingdevice812, is connected to the positive terminal ofbattery pack60 and the GND pin of comparingdevice812 is connected to ground. Although unnecessary, the Vcc pin is preferably connected to the positive terminal of thebattery pack60 through aSchottky diode830 to provide basic filtering to the signal from the battery. Acapacitor832, of preferably 0.1 μF, is provided in parallel with the Vcc and GND pins of the comparing device. The battery signal filtered bySchottky diode830 may be provided viatrace608 to the Vcc pin ofmicrocontroller601 to power the microcontroller.
• Comparingdevice812 compares the voltage of the signal provided oninput802 to the voltage of the signal provided oninput804. Based on the comparison made, and the transfer characteristics of the comparing device, an output signal is provided onoutput817 to controlswitch816. However, becauseswitch816 is a p-channel MOSFET in the illustrated embodiment, a negative gate-to-source voltage is required to enableswitch816 to conduct current.
• In the present embodiment, if the voltage of the signal oninput804 is greater than the voltage oninput802, then the comparingdevice812 will produce a signal with a positive voltage onoutput817 that is substantially equal to or greater than the voltage generated bybattery pack60 onconductor824. As a result, theMOSFET comprising switch816 is disabled, and the circuit path between chargingcontact44 and thecenter electrode63 ofbattery pack60 will be opened. On the other hand, if the voltage of signal oninput802 is greater than or equal to the voltage of the signal oninput804, then the comparingdevice812 will output no signal (or a 0 Volt signal) onoutput817.Switch816 will be enabled to conduct current between chargingcontact44 and thecenter conductor63 ofbattery pack60 under these circumstances because the gate-to-source voltage of the MOSFET will be negative.
• In the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 9A, the voltage of signal oninput802 will correspond to the voltage drop acrossresistor811 provided between chargingcontact44 and the case electrode, or ground, ofbattery pack60. To ensure that complete charging ofbattery pack60 may be achieved,resistor811 is preferably selected to have a resistance slightly greater than that ofresistor810 so that a larger voltage drop occurs acrossresistor811 thanresistor810 during the charging process. Preferablyresistor811 has a resistance that is greater than 50% and less than or equal to about 60% of the combined total resistance forresistors810,811.
• The voltage of the signal provided oninput804 will correspond to the voltage stored oncapacitor815, which in turn will depend on the respective resistances ofresistors813 and814 inelectrical path819. In particular, becausecapacitor815 is provided in parallel withresistor814, the voltage stored oncapacitor815 will equal the voltage drop acrossresistor814. Preferably,resistors813 and814 are selected to have equal values so that followingequilibrium capacitor815 will have a charge that corresponds to approximately one half the voltage ofbattery pack60.
• By way of illustration,resistors810,813, and814 may each have a resistance of 100 KΩ, andresistor811 may have a resistance of 120 KΩ.Capacitor815 may have a capacitance of 0.1 μF. With these values, the voltage of the signal oninput804 will comprise approximately one half of the voltage ofbattery pack60 oncecapacitor816 is charged and equilibrium is achieved in the circuit. On the other hand, the voltage drop acrossresistor811, and hence the voltage of the signal oninput802, will comprise approximately 55% of the voltage drop between chargingcontact44 and ground.
• When theflashlight10 is placed into its charging unit,external charging contacts44,48 will come into contact with corresponding charging contacts of the charging unit so that energy may flow to the battery pack. Based on the foregoing arrangement ofshort protection circuit800, as long as the voltage on chargingcontact44 is greater than or equal to the voltage of thebattery pack60, thenflashlight10 is determined to be in the charging mode and switch816 will be enabled to pass current. This is because the voltage drop acrossresistor811 will be greater than the voltage stored oncapacitor815 in such circumstances. As a result, comparingdevice812, which is a voltage comparator in the present embodiment, will signal switch816 to close, thereby permitting energy to flow from chargingcontact44 to thebattery pack60 alonglines820,823,824, and821 and the recharging ofbattery pack60 to take place.
• Further,switch816 in the present embodiment will remain open once the flashlight is removed from the charging cradle. This is because chargingcontact44 will be at the same potential as thecenter electrode63 as long asswitch816 is open, and, thus, the voltage of the signal oninput802 will remain larger than the voltage of the signal oninput804.
• However, if the chargingcontacts44 and48 are shorted together, the voltage between chargingcontact44 and ground will quickly drop to zero volts, as will the voltage drop acrossresistor811. In response, comparingdevice812 will detect that chargingcontact44 is at a lower voltage than the battery andopen switch816 by sending a signal having a large positive voltage to switch816 viaoutput817. Comparingdevice812 will disableswitch816 in response to a detected short more quickly than the internalshort protection circuitry86 can detect and clear a short. Because the internal shortcircuit protection circuitry86 is not triggered in such circumstances,battery pack60 can continue to supply energy tolamp59 without interruption by the built-in shortcircuit protection circuitry86.
• In the present embodiment ofshort protection circuit800, once a short is detected between chargingcontacts44 and48,switch816 will not open again until the short is removed and the voltage drop between chargingcontact44 and ground is approximately equal to or greater than the voltage ofbattery pack60. In other words, switch816 will not open again untilflashlight10 is placed in its corresponding charging unit.
• In addition to flashlights,short protection circuit800 may also be beneficially used in other rechargeable devices in which charging contacts are exposed. Further, whileshort protection circuit800 is particularly useful when the power source for a portable electronic device is a rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack,short protection circuit800 may also be used advantageously in rechargeable devices powered by other rechargeable DC power sources.
• While various embodiments of an improved flashlight and its respective components have been presented in the foregoing disclosure, numerous modifications, alterations, alternate embodiments, and alternate materials may be contemplated by those skilled in the art and may be utilized in accomplishing the various aspects of the present invention. For example, the power control circuit and short protection circuit described herein may be employed together in a flashlight or may be separately employed. Further, the short protection circuit may be used in rechargeable electronic devices other than flashlights. Thus, it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation on the scope of the invention as claimed below.

Claims (20)

1. A portable lighting device comprising:

a main power circuit including a power source, a light source, and an electronic power switch;

a mechanical switch disposed outside of the main power circuit;

a microprocessor for generating a control signal in response to a closing of the mechanical switch; and

a power control circuit electrically coupled to the electronic power switch and adapted to regulate current flow through the electronic power switch in response to the control signal of the microprocessor.

2. A portable lighting device according toclaim 1, wherein the power control circuit regulates current flow through the electronic power switch when the portable lighting device is turned on to limit the peak current that flows through the main power circuit prior to the main power circuit reaching a steady state.

3. A portable lighting device according toclaim 1, wherein the light source includes a filament.

4. A portable lighting device according toclaim 1, wherein the portable lighting device comprises a flashlight.

5. A portable lighting device according toclaim 1, wherein the electronic power switch is a transistor.

6. A portable lighting device according toclaim 5, wherein the electronic power switch is an n-channel MOSFET.

7. A portable lighting device comprising:

a main power circuit including a power source, a light source, and an electronic power switch;

a circuit board;

a power control circuit formed on the circuit board electrically coupled to the electronic power switch;

a microprocessor formed on the circuit board having an output coupled to the power control circuit; and

a mechanical switch for opening and closing an electrical path between the power source and the microprocessor, wherein the microprocessor provides a control signal through the output of the microprocessor to the power control circuit in response to an activation signal received from the mechanical switch, and the power control circuit modifies the control signal and applies the modified control signal to the electronic power switch.

8. A portable lighting device according toclaim 7, wherein the power control circuit regulates the electronic power switch when the portable lighting device is turned on to limit the peak current that flows through the main power circuit prior to the main power circuit reaching a steady state.

9. A portable lighting device according toclaim 8, wherein the voltage of the control signal substantially varies according to a step function when the portable lighting device is turned on, and the modified control signal has a voltage that increases over time.

10. A portable lighting device according toclaim 9, wherein the voltage of the modified control signal has a voltage that increases exponentially over time.

11. A portable lighting device according toclaim 8, wherein the electronic power switch is a transistor.

12. A portable lighting device according toclaim 11, wherein the electronic power switch is an n-channel MOSFET and the power control circuit applies the modified control signal to the gate of the MOSFET.

13. A flashlight comprising:

a main power circuit including a power source, a lamp, and an electronic power switch;

a circuit board; and

a power control circuit formed on the circuit board and adapted to provide a control signal to the electronic power switch while the flashlight is turned on, wherein the amount of current the electronic power switch is capable of conducting in the main power circuit is dependent on the voltage of the control signal applied to the electronic power switch, and wherein the power control circuit is configured to vary the voltage of the control signal in a manner that increases the amount of current that can flow through the power switch over a predetermined period when the flashlight is turned on.

14. A flashlight according toclaim 13, wherein the predetermined period is greater than 10 milliseconds.

15. A flashlight according toclaim 13, wherein the predetermined period is greater than the time required for the main power circuit to reach a steady state after the flashlight is turned on.

16. A flashlight according toclaim 13, wherein the power control circuit varies the voltage of the signal according to an exponential function.

17. A flashlight according toclaim 16, wherein the voltage of the signal increases exponentially.

18. A flashlight according toclaim 13, wherein the electronic power switch comprises a transistor.

19. A flashlight according toclaim 18, wherein the electronic power switch comprises a field effect transistor and the signal is applied to the gate of the transistor.

20. A flashlight according toclaim 13, wherein the lamp includes a filament.

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