Patent ID: 7728546

Claim:
A multiple power supply apparatus installed in a vehicle including an engine, the multiple power supply apparatus comprising: a first power supply system including a generator and a first battery, the generator being driven by an operation of the engine, the first battery being chargeable by an electrical output of the generator; a second power supply system including a second battery, the second battery working to supply electrical power to an electrical load installed in the vehicle; and a power transfer module operative to transfer, to the second power supply system, electrical power supplied from the first power supply system based on at least one of the electrical output of the generator and a charged level of the first battery, the power transfer module being integrally joined to the first battery to constitute a battery module; wherein the power transfer module comprises: a power transfer circuit electrically connected to the first power supply system and the second power supply system and operative to convert a level of the electrical power supplied from the first power supply system and transfer the electrical power with the converted level to the second power supply system; and a controller electrically connected to the power transfer circuit and operative to control the power transfer circuit to determine the level of the electrical power, the power transfer circuit and the controller being integrated with each other to constitute the power transfer module.