Embodiments are directed to a support apparatus. The support apparatus might comprise a body configured to support an entity. The body might comprise a material that has a physical property. The support apparatus might further comprise a coupler system configured to couple electric current from a power source to the material. The material is arranged such that coupling an electric current to the material changes the physical property of the material. Embodiments are further directed to a method. The method might comprise forming one or more cavities in a support apparatus. The method might further comprise providing one or more couplers in electrical contact with each of the one or more channels. The method further comprises filling each of the one or more cavities with a fluid that has electrically changeable rigidity. Finally, the method might comprise connecting a power source to each of the one or more couplers.

A mobile device has one or more sensors that are configured to detect the presence of fog or frost on a surface of the mobile device. A battery provides power to the mobile device. An energy transfer element, when activated, removes fog or frost from a surface of the mobile device. A programmed processor, within the mobile device, is programmed to: read one or more sensors disposed in the mobile device to determine if there is a fog or frost condition; upon detecting a fog or frost condition, activating the energy transfer element to remove fog or frost; and upon detecting an absence of the fog or frost condition, deactivating the heater energy transfer element.

One embodiment provides a device, including: a device housing; a display device disposed in the device housing; a main battery disposed in the device housing; a supplemental battery operatively coupled to the main battery in a parasitic arrangement, wherein the main battery draws power from the supplemental battery; and a processor operatively coupled to the display device. Other aspects are described and claimed.

A movable platform includes one or more propulsion units configured to provide a driving force to the movable platform and a control unit operatively coupled to the one or more propulsion units. The control unit is configured to: communicate with a plurality of batteries adapted to supply current to the one or more propulsion units; obtain one or more electrical characteristics of each of the plurality of batteries; and determine, based on the electrical characteristics, a controlling signal to set a power supply state for at least one of the plurality of batteries.

The invention provides a power tool, which comprises a motor, at least two battery packs supplying power to the motor and arranged in parallel. The power tool also comprises a relay control circuit used for connecting the motor and the battery packs, and the relay control circuit is provided with a controller, and a plurality of relay switch circuits connected with the controller. The controller is used for detecting the electric energy and/or an user state of battery packs and generates battery pack selection signals, the relay switch circuits and the battery packs are arranged one-to-one, the relay switch circuits receive the battery pack selection signals and control turning on/turning off of relays switches therein, and further switch the battery packs in the on state, to make only one battery pack in the on state at the same time.

A fuel cell system includes a battery, a fuel cell, an air pump, and a processor. The battery stores electric power. The fuel cell supplies electric power to the battery. The air pump is driven with the electric power supplied from the battery to supply air to the fuel cell. The processor, when starting the fuel cell system, is configured to compare an amount of the electric power stored in the battery with a threshold electric power. If the amount of the electric power is higher than or equal to the threshold electric power, the air pump is driven. If the amount of the electric power is lower than the threshold electric power, the air pump is prohibited to drive.

A system for utilizing an array of electrical energy storage devices utilizes a smart manager that categorizes electrical energy storage devices in the array based on electrical energy storage device age and/or internal resistance level and causes those electrical energy storage devices with similar ages and/or resistance levels to be concurrently depleted. This is followed by concurrently depleting the electrical energy storage devices in a different category. The system also disconnects faulty electrical energy storage devices in the array and helps alleviate the need to carefully consider and reconfigure the location of individual electrical energy storage devices in the array. The system facilitates forecasting actual capacity and thus helps to guarantee available capacity and to actively maintain capacity via maintenance crews that need simply remove and replace cells as advised by the smart manager. The system 100 facilitates permitting a quality of service (QoS) to be provided to mission critical entities (banks, hospitals, etc.).

This disclosure includes novel ways of implementing a power supply that powers a load. A main battery source produces a main battery voltage; each of multiple auxiliary battery sources in a set produces a respective auxiliary battery voltage. A controller initially sets a battery supply voltage to the main battery voltage, the main battery voltage is supplied to a power converter. The controller then monitors a magnitude of the battery supply voltage and adjusts the battery supply voltage supplied to the power converter based on a comparison of the magnitude of the battery supply voltage with respect to a threshold level. The adjusted battery supply voltage is provided from a serial connection of the main battery source and a first auxiliary battery source in the set.

A method of operating a machine battery system having multiple battery packs connectable in parallel includes bringing a first battery pack with the highest offline pack voltage online for discharging, including a pack controller circuit of the first battery pack bringing one or more individual battery strings of the first battery pack online; bringing a next battery pack with a next highest offline pack voltage online when the next highest offline pack voltage is within a predetermined discharge threshold voltage of a load voltage, including the pack controller circuit bringing one or more individual battery strings of the next battery pack online; and waiting to bring the next battery pack online, when the next highest offline pack voltage is less than a predetermined discharge threshold voltage of the load voltage, until the next highest offline pack voltage is within the predetermined discharge threshold voltage.

A power device, system and method. The device may include a housing defining a first support operable to support a first battery pack, and a second support operable to support a second battery pack; a circuit selectively electrically connecting the first battery pack and the second battery pack in series, the circuit including an output terminal to provide an output voltage to a powered device, a first bypass portion operable to selectively electrically disconnect the first battery pack from the circuit, and a second bypass portion operable to selectively electrically disconnect the second battery pack from the circuit; and a boost converter electrically connected to the circuit and operable to boost a voltage at the output terminal.