Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Background of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for
regenerating voltage supply elements in the form
of primary elements with electrical energy
supplied thereto as well as a device for
performing the described method.
Primary elements, respectively, primary
voltage sources, have become indispensible in
daily life and are used with different devices,
apparatus and appliances in order to supply such
devices, apparatus or appliances with electric
energy. Primary voltage sources of the
aforementioned kind are, for example, manganese,
alkali, zinc-carbon or other elements which all
have in common that after a certain amount of
operating time only such a low voltage is present
at their poles that the desired operation of the
consuming device connected thereto is no longer
possible.
Due to the electro-chemical changes in the
interior of such primary elements, the initial
voltage is reduced and a change of the inner
resistance of the elements takes place so that the
output power of such elements is reduced parallel
to the nominal voltage. Typically, a primary
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element in its initial unloaded state has a
voltage of 1.5 V. An element of this kind is
considered spent when the voltage sinks to
approximately 1 to 1.2 V.
In general, such spent elements are without
second thoughts disposed in domestic or industrial
waste which, in view of the material and the
chemical composition of the components of such
primary elements, is highly objectionable,
respectively, even dangerous with respect to
environmental considerations. In the recent past
efforts have been made to collect such spent
elements at special collection locations in order
to sub~ect them to a controlled recycllng process;
however, an element of the aforementioned kind is
often considered spent, as mentioned above, when
the voltage drops below 1 to 1.2 V even though the
components of the elements are still intact.
In this context it should be noted that the
voltage of the primary element which changes over
time of use and the accompanying reduction of
current supply is essentially only determined by
the reactions taking place in the interior of the
element during the tlme of use.
Various attempts have been undertaken and
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various methods have been suggested for recycling
the primary voltage supply elements, that are
spent in the aforementioned sense, with the goal
that these elements should be able to supply power
for a further period of time. However, all
methods known to date have the disadvantage that
a truly effective regeneration is not possible or
possible only to a limited extent.
It is thus an ob;ect of the present invention
to provide a method and a device of the
aforementioned kind for the regeneration of
primary elements with which a regeneration is
possible such that the power output of essentially
unused primary voltage supply elements can be
reached, whereby the method and the device should
be simple and inexpensive to perform,
respectively, to manufacture so that they can be
mass-produced at low cost and find wide-spread
use.
Brief Description of the Drawings
This object, and other objects and advantages
of the present invention, will appear more clearly
from the following specification in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 shows a device for
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performing the method for
regenerating voltage supply
elements in a block diagram;
Fig. 2 shows an embodiment of a
device shown in Fig. 1 with
details of the circuitry;
Fig. 3 shows the current as a
function of time for the
primary voltage supply
element upon a load of 6 ohm
corresponding to 250 mA,
whereby curve A shows a new
voltage source, curve B
shows the current after a
first regeneration process,
and curve C shows the
current after a second
regeneration process: and
Fig. 4 shows a plan view of a
housing of the device for
receiving a plurality of
voltage supply elements to
be regenerated.
Summary of the Invention
The method of regenerating a voltage supply
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element in the form of a primary element according
to the present invention is primarily
characterized by the steps of:
Charging the primary element with electric
energy for a predetermined time period; and
The step of charging the primary element with
electric energy including the step of supplying
periodically voltage impulses of a predetermined
amplitude and a predetermined impulse duration.
Preferably, the step of supplying
periodically voltage impulses includes the step of
generating the voltage impulses with a short
ascending time and/or a short descending time.
Advantageously, the step of supplying
periodically voltage impulses includes the step of
producing the impulse duration in a range of 10-3
seconds to 2 x 10-3 seconds.
In a further embodiment of the present
invention, the step of supplying periodically
voltage impulses includes the step of producing
the voltage impulses in a frequency range of 2 Hz
to 200 Hz.
Advantageously, the step of charging the
primary element with electric energy includes the
step of producing the electric energy with a
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current of 5 x 10-2 A to 15 A. Advantageously, the
step of producing the electric energy includes the
step of adjusting and/or controlling the current
as a function of an inner resistance of the
primary element to be regenerated.
According to the inventive method the primary
element to be regenerated is charged for a
predetermined time period with substantially
periodically supplied voltage impulses of a
predetermined amplitude and predetermined impulse
duration.
The advantage of the inventive method lies in
the fact that the primary element can be
regenerated such that, as desired, a power output
is achievable that is in fact almost identical to
the power output of a new primary element that has
never been used.
The inventive method has furthermore the
advantage that it is also possible to regenerate
multiple times the primary element after multiple
discharges whereby after each regeneration process
the initial power output can be reached
approximately. With the inventive method it is
furthermore advantageously possible that, in
addition to saving raw materlals, the disposal
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problem is also reduced, and the primary element
must be disposed of only after multiple
regeneration processes when in fact the inner,
irreparable destruction has been observed.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention
the voltage impulses are designed such that they
have a short ascending time, respectively, a short
descending time, i.e., the voltage impulses have
very steep flanks that contribute substantially to
the increase of the regenerating effect.
The impulse duration preferably lles between
10-3 seconds to 2 x 10-3 seconds, whereby the
impulse duration is variably adjustable as a
function of the element to be regenerated, also as
a function of other parameters, if necessary.
Advantageously, the frequency of the voltage
impulses is also variable and may be selected, for
example, to be within a preferred range of 2 to
200 Hz.
The regenerating current should be adjustable
preferably within a range of 5 x 10-2 A to 15 A.
It is also possible to, for example, adjust the
range of the regenerating current at a fixed rate,
i.e., to perform the regeneration process with a
constantly pulsed current and with changing
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voltage impulse amplitudes that are adjusted as a
function of the regenerating state of the primary
element. However, it is also advantageously
possible to allow for an automatic adjustment of
the regenerating current as a function of the
inner resistance of the voltage source to be
regenerated whereby the voltage impulses are
preset to have a constant amplitude.
The present invention also relates to a
device for regenerating a voltage supply in the
form of a primary element by charging the primary
element with electric energy, the inventive device
being primarily characterized by:
A low resistance dc voltage source;
A switching device having an input and an
output for connecting the switching device to a
pole of the primary element to be regenerated, the
output delivering a sequence of voltage impulses;
The low resistance dc voltage source
connected to the input; and
A timing generator connected to the switching
device for timing the switching device.
Advantageously, the switching device
comprises an adjusting member for adjusting an
amplitude of the voltage impulses.
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Expediently, the switching device comprises
a control device for controlling the current of
the electric energy. Advantageously, the control
device controls the current as a function of the
changing inner resistance of the primary element
to be regenerated.
In a further embodiment of the present
invention, the device further comprises a timing
member for adjusting a charging time period for
the primary element to be regenerated.
The inventive device for regenerating voltage
sources in the form of primary elements with
electric energy in the form of dc current is
characterized by a low-resistance dc voltage
source the dc voltage signal of which is supplied
to a switching device timed by a timing generator,
whereby the output of the switching device that
delivers a sequence of voltage impulses is
connected to a pole of the voltage source to be
regenerated.
The advantage of the inventive device is
essentially that it can be assembled in a simple
manner from substantially inexpensively producible
components so that the device has low
manufacturing costs and can thus also be mass-
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produced and can be widely used in the private and
industrial sector. Such a device will be commonly
supplied via electric networks, present
everywhere, with the required primary energy so
that no expensive technical measures are required
for a respective adaptation, i.e., commercial
voltage transformers and/or adapters can be used.
Advantageously, the switching device has an
adjusting member for setting the amplitude of the
voltage impulses and advantageously also comprises
a control device for controlling the regenerating
current if desired to maintain the current at a
constant level while the amplitude of the voltage
impulses is adjusted as a function of the degree
of regeneration of the primary elements to be
regenerated.
The characteristics (parameters) of the
control of the control device can advantageously
be selected as a function of the degree of
regeneration of the voltage supply element and the
resulting changing inner resistance. However, it
is also possible to select a different control
characteristic, if needed, as a function of the
voltage supply element to be regenerated,
respectively, if so desired, and when special
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regenerating characteristics are desired or
necessary.
It is also advantageous that the time period
for regenerating the voltage supply element to be
regenerated can be predetermined, respectively,
set to a certain time period that is adjustable
with a timing member so that after completion of
a regenerating process in a quasi automatic manner
the regeneration is terminated, i.e., the primary
10voltage source (electric energy source) is
switched off.
Description of Preferred Embodiments
The present invention will now be described
in detail with the aid of several specific
embodiments utilizing Figures l through 4.
The device 10 for performing the method of
the present invention will first be described with
the aid of Fig. l representing a block diagram.
A low resistance dc primary voltage source 23 may
20be in the form of a suitably dimensioned adapter
that can be connected with its input to a suitable
ac network in a suitable manner. The dc voltage
source 23 supplies in a known manner a dc signal
13 to the input 17 of a switching device 14. The
switching device 14 is directly controlled by a
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timing generator 15 which functions such that the
dc signal 13 is changed into a sequence of voltage
impulses 18 at the output 16 which is adjustable
with respect to the impulse duration via an
adjusting member 21 that also cooperates with the
timed switching device 14. The impulse duration
of a semi-period of the impulse sequence 18 is for
example between 10-3 to 2 x 10-3 seconds long.
The adJusting member 21 may also be provided
with adjusting elements, respectively, control
members with which the regenerating current is
adjustable within a range of 5 x 10-2 A to 15 A.
The timing generator 15 is also adjustable,
respectively, controllable such that with it the
frequency of the voltage impulses of the sequence
18 is adjustable, for example, in the range of 2
to 200 Hz.
The timing member 22 is connected to a switch
24 such that the voltage impulse sequence 18 from
the output 16 of the timed switching device 14 is
connected to a pole 19 of the voltage supply
element 11 to be regenerated. The other pole 20
of the voltage source 11 to be regenerated is
connected in a conventional manner to the other
pole of the dc voltage source 23, in the shown
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example to its mass. The timing member 22 may be
embodied in an adjustable form so that in a
predetermined manner the regenerating process,
i.e., the charging of the voltage supply element
11 to be regenerated with the sequence 18 of
voltage impulses can be performed at a
predetermined time period. When the end of the
predetermined time period is reached, the
electrical switch 24 which was closed due to the
pressure of the time interval key, is open so that
automatically an interruption of the supply of the
voltage impulse sequence 18 to the voltage supply
element 11 to be regenerated takes place.
It should be noted that the device 10 may
also be embodied such that it is possible to
adjust the regenerating current at a constant
level as a function of the inner resistance of the
voltage supply element 11 to be regenerated
(constant current charging mode, respectively,
constant current regenerating mode). However, the
current may also be adjustable, if needed, or
automatically adjustable corresponding to the
changing inner resistance of the voltage supply
element 11 to be regenerated during the
regenerating process.
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Fig. 2 shows the device according to Fig. 1
in a detailed circuit diagram embodiment.
Voltage is supplied to the device via a
conventional supply network to which a transformer
25 is connected. With one pole of the secondary
side of the transformer 25 two capacitors 25 are
connected and with the other pole two diodes 30
are connected. Together the elements 25, 30 form
in a known manner a rectifier-voltage doubler.
Accordingly, as known per se, a low resistance dc
voltage source for supplying voltage to the
following functional elements of the device 10 is
provided.
The generation and the formation of the
steep-flanked impulses for the highly effective
regeneration effect is carried out with the timing
generator, respectively, impulse generator 15.
The generator 15 works as an asymmetric multi
vibrator together with the transistors 27 and 28
and generates and forms the required impulses with
an impulse seguence frequency of 2 to 5 Hz. Via
further impulse forming circuits these are
subsequently guided to the electronic switch 14
and amplified. Subsequently, these voltage
impulses are then guided into the part of the
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device into which the primary elements to be
regenerated are inserted. In order to protect the
device 10 and the primary elements to be
regenerated (the voltage supply elements 11), the
circuit of the device 10 may be provided with a
so-called automatic turn-off device 29 that llmits
the regenerating, respectively, guick-loading
process to a predetermined time period, for
example, a maximum of 25 minutes. If need be, by
pressing the timing key 31 one more time, the
regenerating, respectively, quick-charging process
may be activated again for the predetermined time
period.
Fig. 3 shows the course of the initial
voltage of a voltage supply element as a function
of time for a discharging process over a load
resistance of 6 ohm corresponding to approximately
250 mA. After approximately 12 hours the voltage
of the voltage supply element 11 has been reduced
from 1.5 V to 1.2 V. 250 mA correspond
approximately to the current consumption of an
incandescent lightbulb that is typically used in
flashlights. The first discharge curve of the
voltage source 11 is represented by curve A in
Fig. 3. Curve A represents a new voltage supply
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element 11 that has never been used.
After a first regeneration process over a
time period of approximately 20 minutes, the
regenerated voltage supply element that has been
regenerated with the inventive method and the
inventive device provides a nominal voltage of
approximately 1.5 V. A subsequent discharge of
the regenerated voltage source 11 with the same
load parameters for a time period of 12 hours is
represented in curve B. Curve B is almost
identical to the first load curve A. A subsequent
second regenerating process with the inventive
method and device 10 over a time period of 20
minutes again results in a nominal voltage of
approximately 1.5 V whereby with the same load
parameters a curve C results that only slightly
deviates from the previous curves A and B.
Experiments have shown that commercially
available primary elements of good quality can be
regenerated at least 10 times in the
aforedescribed manner without exhibiting a
significant power output decrease.
With the inventive method it is thus possible
to reverse the chemical, respectively, electro-
chemical reactions taking place in the interior of
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the primary elements 11. The normal electro-
chemical reactions occurring with an electrical
consuming device connected to primary elements is
the formation of deposits on electrodes which
deposits have an insulating effect. With the
inventive method and the inventive device 10 the
electrodes are freed of the insulating deposits so
that an almost complete regeneration of its
initial power output, respectively, capacity is
obtainable.
Fig. 4 shows a housing for the device 10 for
recelving a plurality of voltage supply elements
11. The housing may receive different voltage
supply elements 11 which may be regenerated
individually or simultaneously.
It should be noted that the inventive method
and the inventive device 10 are not only suitable
for regenerating primary elements 11, but are also
suitable for a quick-charging of secondary voltage
supply elements, i.e., different types of
accumulators, without deviating from the inventive
principle of regeneration, respectively,
recharging with voltage impulses over a certain
period of time at a predetermined impulse
duration, amplitude, and frequency etc. The
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inventive device and the inventive method have
been very effective and are therefore suitable for
charging or recharging secondary voltage supply
elements.
The present invention is, of course, in no
way restricted to the specific disclosure of the
specification and drawings, but also encompasses
any modifications within the scope of the appended
claims.
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