Patent ID: 8179103

Claim:
A method of boosting an output of a power supply battery in an electrical circuit including a power supply battery operable at a power supply voltage, a supercapacitor, a contactor connected across the supercapacitor, and a switch configured to open and close a current path from the power supply battery and the supercapacitor to an electrical load, wherein the method comprises: charging the supercapacitor to a regulated voltage; applying, by closing the switch, a series combination of the regulated voltage and the power supply voltage to the electrical load; wherein the step of charging the supercapacitor to the regulated voltage comprises charging the supercapacitor to a selected voltage level that is substantially less than the power supply voltage; and if the supercapacitor becomes fully discharged, operating the contactor to bypass the supercapacitor and avoid reverse charging of the supercapacitor.