{
  "patent_number": "US 11351876",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How a Car Battery Charges from High-Voltage Stations Using a Capacitor",
  "original_title": "Vehicle power supply system",
  "summary": "This patent describes a vehicle power system that uses a capacitor in series with a lower-voltage battery to allow charging from standard electric vehicle charging stations that supply a higher minimum voltage.",
  "what_it_does": "The patent details a vehicle power supply system designed to charge from an electric vehicle (EV) charging station that provides a voltage at or above a certain minimum, like 50 volts (Claim 2). The system includes a battery with a rated voltage lower than this minimum, for example, 48 volts (Claim 5). To bridge this voltage gap, a capacitor is connected in series with the battery (Claim 1). The combined rated voltage of the battery and capacitor together is higher than the charging station's minimum voltage. For instance, a 48V battery combined with a 72V capacitor (Claim 4) creates a 120V series, allowing it to interface with a 50V or higher charging station. The system's circuitry then manages the power received from the charging station to charge both the battery and the capacitor (Claim 1). An example of usage would be a mild-hybrid vehicle with a 48V battery system being able to use a public EV fast charger designed for higher voltage full EVs.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover vehicle power systems where the battery's rated voltage is already equal to or greater than the charging station's lower limit voltage (Claim 1).",
    "Does not cover systems where the capacitor is not electrically connected in series with the battery during charging (Claim 1).",
    "Does not cover systems where the combined rated voltage of the battery and capacitor is less than or equal to the charging station's lower limit voltage (Claim 1).",
    "Does not cover systems that only use a battery or only a capacitor for energy storage, without the series combination (Claim 1).",
    "Does not cover charging systems that do not receive power from an external EV charging station (Claim 1)."
  ],
  "filed": "2020-01-27",
  "granted": "2022-06-07",
  "expires": "2040-01-27",
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Mazda Motor",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/mazda-motor",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Seiyo Hirano",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/seiyo-hirano"
    },
    {
      "name": "Hideki SANAI",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/hideki-sanai"
    },
    {
      "name": "Akihiro Furukawa",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/akihiro-furukawa"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 0,
  "tags": [
    "automotive",
    "consumer_electronics",
    "energy"
  ],
  "abstract": "A vehicle power supply system configured to be charged by an electric vehicle (EV) charging station that performs charging with a voltage equal to or more than a predetermined lower limit voltage. The vehicle power supply system includes a battery having a rated voltage lower than the lower limit voltage; a capacitor electrically connected in series to the battery, wherein a sum of the rated voltage of the battery and a rated voltage of the capacitor is greater than the first voltage; and an interface configured to receive electric power from the EV charging station. The vehicle power supply system also includes circuitry configured to receive electric power from the EV charging station, and charge the battery and the capacitor using the received electric power.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11351876/vehicle-power-supply-system",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11351876/vehicle-power-supply-system/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US11351876",
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  ]
}