Induction rechargeable electronic candle system

Abstract

A large plurality of artificial, battery-operated, electronic candles are arranged to be simultaneously recharged upon placement on a series of interconnected charging trays that include a transformer primary winding at defined locations thereon. The primary windings are driven by an AC signal whose duty cycle is controlled by a pulse width modulator 1 C to induce a voltage across secondary windings contained within the candle housing. This induced signal is rectified to produce the battery charging current and the delivery of the charging current to the rechargeable batteries is controlled by a microprocessor 1 C.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An electronic candle, comprising:
 a housing;   an LED light source positioned at least partially within the housing;   a battery for energizing the LED light source;   a microprocessor coupled to the LED light source and programmed to control illumination produced by the LED light source; and   a sensor coupled to the microprocessor and configured to detect a tilt of the electronic candle, wherein the sensor includes a plurality of electrical contacts and a conductive material disposed within the sensor such that upon a tilt of the electronic candle device from an upright position, the conductive material comes in contact with at least a first electrical contact of the plurality of electrical contacts to generate a signal indicative of the tilt of the electronic candle device.   
     
     
         2 . The electronic candle of  claim 1 , further including an additional LED light source, wherein the microprocessor is configured to cause the additional LED light source to blink in response to detection of the tilt. 
     
     
         3 . The electronic candle of  claim 1 , further including buzzer, wherein the microprocessor is configured to activate the buzzer for a predetermined length of time in response to detection of the tilt. 
     
     
         4 . The electronic candle of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor includes a plurality of tubes, each containing a ball comprising the conductive material, each ball being free to move between a pair of the electrical contacts that are disposed at opposite ends of each tube. 
     
     
         5 . The electronic candle of  claim 4 , wherein each ball is in electrical contact with an electrical contact positioned at a lower end of each of the plurality of tubes when the electronic candle device is in a horizontal position. 
     
     
         6 . The electronic candle of  claim 1 , wherein the microprocessor is programmed to vary an electrical signal provided to the LED light source to cause flickering of the LED light source. 
     
     
         7 . The electronic candle of  claim 1 , further comprising a flame-shaped component projecting outward from the top portion of the housing. 
     
     
         8 . The electronic candle of  claim 1 , wherein the battery is a rechargeable battery, the electronic candle further includes a coil that is electrically coupled to the rechargeable battery and is configured to supply charge to the rechargeable battery through induction coupling. 
     
     
         9 . The electronic candle of  claim 1 , further including a configured to (a) turn the electronic candle on or off, or (b) to select a particular mode of operation of the electronic candle. 
     
     
         10 . The electronic candle of  claim 9 , wherein the particular mode is one of a blinking mode or a steady illumination mode. 
     
     
         11 . The electronic candle of  claim 1 , wherein the microprocessor is programmed to produce an indication that the electronic candle device has been displaced from a horizontal position upon detection of the tilt of the electronic candle for a programmed period of time. 
     
     
         12 . The electronic candle of  claim 1 , wherein the programmed period of time is  5  seconds. 
     
     
         13 . The electronic candle of  claim 1 , wherein the housing is cylindrical in shape and includes an opening on a top surface thereof to allow at least a portion of the LED light source to protrude upward from the opening. 
     
     
         14 . The electronic candle of  claim 1 , wherein the LED light source produces a yellow colored illumination. 
     
     
         15 . The electronic candle of  claim 1 , wherein the microprocessor is programmed, upon detection of the tilt of the electronic candle device, to activate a buzzer until the electronic candle device is positioned to a charging device. 
     
     
         16 . The electronic candle of  claim 1 , wherein the battery is a lithium ion battery.