Flexible Ultracapacitor Cloth For Feeding Portable Electronic Devices

Abstract

Disclosed is a flexible ultracapacitor having a flexible cloth including an autotransformer-type connected switch made with nanoporous carbon electrodes impregnated by an electrolyte. Each of the nanoporous carbon electrodes may be configured to have a circuit. The circuit may include a first inductor and a second inductor. Each of the first inductor and the second inductor may have a first terminal and a second terminal. The second terminal of the first inductor may be coupled to the first terminal of the second inductor. A switch may be coupled between the first terminal of the first inductor and the second terminal of the second inductor.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A flexible ultracapacitor, comprising:
 a flexible cloth including an autotransformer-type connected switch made with nanoporous carbon electrodes impregnated by an electrolyte, wherein each of the nanoporous carbon electrodes are configured to have a circuit which comprises:
 a first inductor coupled to a second inductor, wherein the first inductor and the second inductor each having a first terminal and a second terminal, wherein the second terminal of the first inductor is coupled to the first terminal of the second inductor; and 
 a switch coupled between the first terminal of the first inductor and the first terminal of the second inductor. 
   
     
     
         2 . The flexible ultracapacitor of  claim 1 , wherein a ratio of resulting inductance and a resulting resistance after switching are given by the equations:
     L   max   /L   min =2(1 −k ),   wherein k is a coupling coefficient between the first inductor and the second inductor, L max /L min  is the ratio of resulting inductance, L max  is inductance before switching and L min  is the inductance after switching; and
     R   res   ≈R/ 2, 
   wherein R res  is the resulting resistance and R is a resistance of the first inductor.   
     
     
         3 . The flexible ultracapacitor of  claim 1 , wherein a pore size and a shape of the nanoporous carbon electrodes in the flexible cloth are based on pre-selected modeling computations. 
     
     
         4 . The flexible ultracapacitor of  claim 1 , wherein design parameters of the nanoporous carbon electrodes are selected from the group consisting of an energy density requirement, a volume needed to support required peak power, an average power consumption, a cloth size based on an area and a thickness of the nanoporous carbon electrodes. 
     
     
         5 . A flexible ultracapacitor, comprising:
 a flexible cloth including an autotransformer-type connected switch made with nanoporous carbon electrodes impregnated by an electrolyte, wherein each of the nanoporous carbon electrodes are configured to have a circuit which comprises:
 a first inductor coupled to a second inductor and a third inductor, wherein the first inductor, the second inductor and the third inductor each having a first terminal and a second terminal, wherein the second terminal of the first inductor is coupled to the first terminals of the second inductor and the third inductor; and 
 a switch coupled between the first terminal of the first inductor and the second terminals of the second inductor and the third inductor. 
   
     
     
         6 . The flexible ultracapacitor of  claim 5 , wherein the circuit further comprises:
 a fourth inductor, wherein a second terminal of the fourth inductor is coupled to the second terminals of the second inductor and the third inductor; and   a second switch coupled between the first terminal of the first inductor and a first terminal of the fourth inductor.   
     
     
         7 . The flexible ultracapacitor of  claim 5 , wherein a pore size and a shape of the nanoporous carbon electrodes in the flexible cloth are based on pre-selected modeling computations. 
     
     
         8 . The flexible ultracapacitor of  claim 5 , wherein design parameters of the nanoporous carbon electrodes are selected from the group consisting of an energy density requirement, a volume needed to support required peak power, an average power consumption, a cloth size based on an area and a thickness of the nanoporous carbon electrodes. 
     
     
         9 . A flexible ultracapacitor, comprising:
 a flexible cloth including an autotransformer-type connected switch made with nanoporous carbon electrodes impregnated by an electrolyte, wherein each of the nanoporous carbon electrodes are configured to have a circuit which comprises:
 a first circuit comprising:
 a first inductor coupled to a second inductor, wherein the first inductor and the second inductor each having a first terminal and a second terminal, wherein the second terminal of the first inductor is coupled to the first terminal of the second inductor; and 
 a first switch coupled between the first terminal of the first inductor and the second terminal of the second inductor; 
 
 second circuit coupled to the first circuit in series comprising:
 a third inductor coupled to a fourth inductor, wherein the third inductor and the fourth inductor each having a first terminal and a second terminal wherein the second terminal of the third inductor is coupled to the first terminal of the fourth inductor; and 
 a second switch coupled between the first terminal of the third inductor and the second terminal of the fourth inductor; 
 
 a third circuit coupled to the second circuit in series, wherein the third circuit comprising:
 a fifth inductor coupled to a sixth inductor and a seventh inductor, wherein the fifth inductor, the sixth inductor and the seventh inductor each having a first terminal and a second terminal wherein the second terminal of the fifth inductor is coupled to the first terminals of the sixth inductor and the seventh inductor; 
 a third switch coupled between the first terminal of the filth inductor and the second terminals of the sixth inductor and the seventh inductor; 
 a eighth inductor, wherein a second terminal of the eighth inductor is coupled to the second terminals of the sixth inductor and the seventh inductor; and 
 a fourth switch coupled between the first terminal of the fifth inductor and a first terminal of the eighth inductor. 
 
   
     
     
         10 . The flexible ultracapacitor of  claim 9 , wherein a pore size and a shape of the nanoporous carbon electrodes in the flexible cloth are based on pre-selected modeling computations. 
     
     
         11 . The flexible ultracapacitor of  claim 9 , wherein design parameters of the nanoporous carbon electrodes are selected from the group consisting of an energy density requirement, a volume needed to support required peak power, an average power consumption, a cloth size based on an area and a thickness of the nanoporous carbon electrodes.