RELATED APPLICATIONS

The following applications are related and each is expressly incorporated herein by reference for all purposes:

1. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/664,798, filed May 24, 2022, entitled “Detecting Conducting Fluids in External Connectors of Conformable Wearable Battery Packs using Unused Pins”, filed herewith;2. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/664,811, filed May 24, 2022, entitled “Disconnecting Power from External USB Connectors of Conformable Wearable Battery Packs in the Presence of Conducting Fluids”, filed herewith; and3. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/664,815, filed May 24, 2022, entitled “Detecting Conducting Fluids in External Connectors of Conformable Wearable Battery Packs”, filed herewith.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Aspects described herein generally relate to electrical power storage systems. More specifically, aspects of this disclosure relate to determining the presence of a conducting liquid between the contacts of an electrical connector.

BACKGROUND

Batteries may come in different shapes and sizes depending on their intended usage. Some batteries may be arranged as packages of battery cells that are assembled together to provide a predetermined power output. These battery packages may be arranged in a durable and sealed housing to protect the batteries from damage. In some instances, the battery packages may be designed to flex or bend to accommodate their intended usage. In addition, portable battery systems may be utilized to provide mobile electrical power and/or when located apart from a line voltage source. Integrated communications equipment and/or weapons systems utilized, for example, by law enforcement and/or military personnel require increasingly high levels of power storage carried proximate a user's body. Methods of increasing power storage capability in a device, such as a conformal wearable battery (CWB), is to include additional battery cells and/or use larger battery cells. While in the field, CWBs may encounter hostile environments that may short external connectors of the CWBs. The shorting may cause damage to the connectors and/or damage to the CWBs themselves. The damage may be known immediately or, in the case of oxidation of terminals, may only become known after time. Based on the extent of oxidation, the damage may be irreversible and require replacement of the external connectors of the CWBs.

As such, a need exists within the mobile electrical power storage industry for reducing the effects of exposure of terminals to hostile environments while maintaining the functionality of the power storage systems.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary of various aspects described herein. This summary is not an extensive overview, and is not intended to identify key or critical elements or to delineate the scope of the claims. The following summary merely presents some concepts in a simplified form as an introductory prelude to the more detailed description provided below.

Aspects of the disclosure provide solutions that address conduction between terminals of a connector and/or between terminals of different conductors. In some aspects, the connector or connectors may be uniform serial bus (USB) connectors, Thunderbolt connectors, Lightning connectors, FireWire connectors, Power over Ethernet connectors, and the like. In one or more aspects, one or more unused terminals may be pulled to one voltage potential and the terminals' voltages may be monitored to detect changes. Based on detected changes, the power supplied to the connector or connectors (and subsequent current flow) may be reduced or stopped. In some aspects, the power may be modified until an external reset is applied to the power system. In other aspects, the power system may include one or more internal timers to reapply power and check again for conduction between the terminals. In some examples, power may be partially restored to the connector. In other examples, power may be fully restored to the connector.

In some aspects, conduction between individual terminals in a single connector may be monitored. In other aspects, conduction between terminals of different connectors may be monitored. For instance, one connector may have no unused terminals and is required to maintain a voltage difference between terminals. In this example, a second connector may be selectively unpowered and one or more of its terminals used to detect a change in voltage over time.

Benefits of detecting conduction between terminals may include reducing long-term electrolytic corrosion between terminals. Terminals of connectors are often plated in a non-reactive metal or alloy or other material. Depending on the type of terminal, the mechanical act of connecting and disconnecting male and female connectors may wear down the non-reactive surface of the terminals. Over time, a reactive material under the non-reactive metal/alloy/other material may be exposed. In the presence of a conducting liquid (e.g., salt water or other liquid with sufficient ions) and a voltage potential between terminals, electrolytic corrosion of the reactive material may be accelerated, thereby increasing the impedance of connection between the terminal of the connector and a terminal of a plug. Further, where the materials are dissimilar, galvanic corrosion may occur in the presence of a conducting liquid (e.g., an electrolyte). That increase in impedance may affect the charging of the battery and/or reduce the availability of power for an external device. One or more aspects detect the presence of a conductive liquid in a connector. Other aspects modify the power provided to one or more connectors to reduce potential corrosion of the conductors caused by current flowing between those connectors.

These features, along with many others, are discussed in greater detail below.

