Embodiments of this application provide a DC/DC conversion circuit, a power unit, a charging pile, and a charge-discharge heating method. The circuit includes: a first rectifier module, where an input end of the first rectifier module is connected to a power grid through an AC/DC conversion circuit; a transformer module, where an input end of the transformer module is connected to an output end of the first rectifier module; an energy storage module; and a second rectifier module, where an input end of the second rectifier module is configured to connect to an output end of the transformer module or the energy storage module, and an output end of the second rectifier module is configured to connect to a battery pack of an electric vehicle when the charging pile is charging the electric vehicle.

A device includes a signaling means and a motion sensor, and logic for activating or controlling the signaling means in response to a sensed motion according to an embedded logic. The device may be used as a toy, and may be shaped like a play ball or as a handheld unit. It may be powered from a battery, either chargeable from an AC power source directly or contactless by using induction or by converting electrical energy from harvested kinetic energy. The embedded logic may activate or control the signaling means, predictably or randomly, in response to sensed acceleration magnitude or direction, such as sensing the crossing of a preset threshold or sensing the peak value. The visual means may be a numeric display for displaying a value associated with the count of the number of times the threshold has been exceeded or the peak magnitude of the acceleration sensed.

An auxiliary power supply device includes an auxiliary power source and a booster circuit. The auxiliary power supply device is configured to be switched among a charging state, a holding state, and a discharging state. The auxiliary power source is configured to be switched between a serial connection mode and a parallel connection mode. The auxiliary power source is configured to perform boosting to supply power to the power supply target when the auxiliary power source is switched to the serial connection mode, and perform backup when the auxiliary power source is switched to the parallel connection mode.

Faster charging of a battery, including: opening a first switch disposed between an input node of the battery and an input node of a load to decouple the input node of the battery from the input node of the load; and charging the battery using a first charging source coupled to the input node of the battery while the load is being powered through the input node of the load via a second charging source having a charge rate slower than the first charging source.

A nitride-based bidirectional switching device is provided for working with a battery protection controller having a power input terminal, a discharge over-current protection (DO) terminal, a charge over-current protection (CO) terminal, a voltage monitoring (VM) terminal and a ground terminal. The nitride-based bidirectional switching device comprises a nitride-based bidirectional switching element and an adaption module configured for receiving a DO signal and a CO signal from the battery protection controller and generating a main control signal for controlling the bidirectional switching element. By implementing the adaption circuit, the nitride-based bidirectional switching element can work with conventional battery protection controller for battery charging and discharging management. Therefore, a nitride-based battery management system can be realized with higher operation frequency as well as a more compact size.

A surgical instrument comprising a shaft, an end effector, a housing, a drive assembly, and a manually-driven actuator is disclosed. The end effector comprises a first jaw and a second jaw rotatable relative to the first jaw between an open position and a clamped position. The housing comprises a rotary input movable by a motor. The drive assembly is operably engaged with the rotary input. The drive assembly is movable by the motor in a motorized mode of operation to transition the second jaw toward the clamped position. The drive assembly is movable in a non-motorized mode of operation by the manually-driven actuator to permit a transition of the second jaw toward the open position to release tissue between the first jaw and the second jaw.

A system for powering an electric vehicle (EV) includes a battery, a power distribution module, and a battery bypass module. The power distribution module receives power from a charging station, draws power from the battery in a discharging mode, distributes power from the charging station to the battery in a charging mode, and distributes power to a plurality of subsystems of the EV. The battery bypass module is coupled to the battery and the power distribution module. When the battery bypass module is engaged in a charging bypass mode, power distributed by the power distribution module bypasses the battery and is distributed to at least a subset of the plurality of subsystems of the EV.

A dendrite resistant battery may include a first electrode, a second electrode, and an electrolyte interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode. The dendrite resistant battery may further include at least one acoustic wave device configured to generate a plurality of acoustic waves during a charging of the battery. The charging of the battery may trigger cations from the first electrode to travel through the electrolyte and deposit on the second electrode. The plurality of acoustic waves may agitate the electrolyte to at least homogenize a distribution of cations in the electrolyte. The homogenization of the distribution of cations may prevent a formation of dendrites on the second electrode by at least increasing a uniformity of the deposit of cations on the second electrode. Related methods and systems for battery management are also provided.

A power receiving apparatus includes a power receiving unit and a control unit. The power receiving unit receives a first power from a power supply apparatus via a connection unit. The control unit determines whether or not authentication information including identification information of the power supply apparatus is authentic, and determines whether or not the power supply apparatus has passed a compliance test based on the identification information. The power receiving unit is allowed to receive a second power greater than the first power, in a case where the authentication information is authentic and the power supply apparatus has passed the compliance test.

Methods and systems are provided for managing multi-battery systems, such as those utilized in an electric vehicle. Multi-battery systems comprise batteries providing power in parallel, thereby making each battery available to the vehicle and avoiding the weight of transporting a backup battery. The methods and systems provided allow for a fault in one battery, in a parallel configuration with at least one other battery, to be detected and managed.