Method and apparatus for end of discharge indication based on critical energy requirement
US6677860B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 19, 2001 |
| Grant date | Jan 13, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 19, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01R31/388
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A battery monitoring system and method in accordance with the principles of the present invention, a capacity of interest is determined. This capacity of interest is the useful battery capacity required for an operation of interest; that is, the battery capacity at the discharge rate required for the operation of interest. The operation of interest may be a save-to-disk operation during a battery operated computer shutdown or a shutdown procedure for a personal digital assistant, for example. Given the capacity of interest, alarm settings are determined for a variety of voltage, discharge, and, optionally, temperature conditions. The trip points map, or index, voltage and discharge rate information for one or more discharge rates to one or more capacities of interest. When an indexed battery-voltage/discharge-rate combination that corresponds to the capacity of interest is encountered, an alarm may be set to indicate that, although the present voltage and discharge rates may indicate that there is more or less capacity than required for the critical operation, the capacity of interest (useful energy left at the discharge rate of interest) has been encountered.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.