Systems and methods for calibrating a conducted electrical weapon

• US 10,274,290 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2016
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taser International Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Taser International Incorporated
• Inventors: Nerheim, Magne H., Barber-Axthelm, Valerie Renee Barry, Goodchild, Eric Heindel, Heroor, Siddharth
• Primary Examiner(s): He, Amy
• Application Number:
  US15/299,343
• Publication Number:
  US 20180059150A1
• Time in Patent Office: 922 Days
• Field of Search: 324601
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 15/02 Training or exercising equipment, e.g. mazes or labyrinths for animals A01K15/04 takes precedence; Electric shock devices circuits therefor H03K3/537; Toys specially adapted for animals
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 13/0012 Electrical discharge weapons, e.g. for stunning
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 13/0018 for nearby electrical discharge, i.e. the electrodes being positioned on the device and the device brought manually or otherwise into contact with a nearby target batons with electric discharge capability F41B15/04; electric shock devices for animals A01K15/02
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 13/0025 for remote electrical discharge via conducting wires, e.g. via wire-tethered electrodes shot at a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 15/16 using capacitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 15/165 measuring electrostatic potential, e.g. with electrostatic voltmeters or electrometers, when the design of the sensor is essential electrometers with passively moving electrodes G01R5/28; measuring electrostatic fields G01R29/12; measuring charge G01R29/24; measuring in circuits with high internal resistance G01R19/0023
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 17/02 Arrangements in which the value to be measured is automatically compared with a reference value
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3191 Calibration
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/385 Arrangements for measuring battery or accumulator variables for monitoring G01R31/382
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 35/00 Testing or calibrating of apparatus covered by the other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 35/005 Calibrating; Standards or reference devices, e.g. voltage or resistance standards, "golden" references G01R33/0035, G01R35/002 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05C 1/04 providing pulse voltages mechanical self-interrupters H01H; electronic pulse-generators H03K

Abstract

Systems and methods for calibrating a conducted electrical weapon (“CEW”) to provide a predetermined amount of current for each pulse of the stimulus signal. Providing the predetermined amount of current, close thereto, increases the effectiveness of the stimulus signal in impeding locomotion of a human or animal target. The calibration process enables a CEW to calibrate the amount of charge in a pulse of the stimulus signal in the environmental conditions where the tester operates and also in the field where the environmental conditions may be different from the environmental conditions during calibration.

Claims

1. A method performed by a handle of a conducted electrical weapon (“

CEW”

) for determining whether a pulse of a stimulus signal provided a predetermined amount of charge, the stimulus signal for impeding locomotion of a human or animal target, the method comprising;

discharging a capacitance;

providing a current for a duration of time to charge the capacitance to a first voltage, the duration of time related to the predetermined amount of charge;

after charging, recording a magnitude of the first voltage;

discharging the capacitance;

providing a pulse of the stimulus signal, providing the pulse charges the capacitance to a second voltage, the second voltage is related to an amount of charge provided by the pulse; and

comparing the magnitude of the first voltage to a magnitude of the second voltage to determine whether the pulse provided the predetermined amount of charge.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the current comprises maintaining the current substantially constant over a range of temperature.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising responsive to comparing, adjusting an amount of charge to be provided by a next pulse of the stimulus signal so that the amount of charge provided by the next pulse is closer to the predetermined amount of charge.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising repeating discharging, providing, comparing, and adjusting to provide a further pulse of the stimulus signal.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein discharging comprises discharging the capacitance until a magnitude of a voltage across the capacitance is about zero.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the current for a duration of time comprises:

starting a timer to measure the duration of time;

starting provision of the current;

determining that the timer has measured the duration of time; and

stopping provision of the current.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein comparing comprises determining that when the magnitude of the first voltage is greater than the magnitude of the second voltage, the amount of charge provided by the pulse is less than the predetermined amount of charge.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein comparing comprises determining that when the magnitude of the first voltage is less than the magnitude of the second voltage, the amount of charge provided by the pulse is greater than the predetermined amount of charge.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by a processing circuit of a handle of a conducted electrical weapon (“

CEW”

), establish a machine performing a computer-implemented method for determining whether a pulse of a stimulus signal provided a predetermined amount of charge, the stimulus signal for impeding locomotion of a human or animal target, the method comprising;

discharging a capacitance;

providing a current for a duration of time to charge the capacitance to a first voltage, the duration of time related to the predetermined amount of charge;

after charging, recording a magnitude of the first voltage;

discharging the capacitance;

providing a pulse of the stimulus signal, providing the pulse charges the capacitance to a second voltage, the second voltage is related to an amount of charge provided by the pulse; and

comparing the magnitude of the first voltage to a magnitude of the second voltage to determine whether the pulse provided the predetermined amount of charge.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein providing the current comprises maintaining the current substantially constant over a range of temperature.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising responsive to comparing, adjusting an amount of charge to be provided by a next pulse of the stimulus signal so that the amount of charge provided by the next pulse is closer to the predetermined amount of charge.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising repeating discharging, providing, comparing, and adjusting to provide a further pulse of the stimulus signal.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein discharging comprises discharging the capacitance until a magnitude of a voltage across the capacitance is about zero.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein providing the current for a duration of time comprises:

starting a timer to measure the duration of time;

starting provision of the current;

determining that the timer has measured the duration of time; and

stopping provision of the current.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein comparing comprises determining that when the magnitude of the first voltage is greater than the magnitude of the second voltage, the amount of charge provided by the pulse is less than the predetermined amount of charge.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein comparing comprises determining that when the magnitude of the first voltage is less than the magnitude of the second voltage, the amount of charge provided by the pulse is greater than the predetermined amount of charge.

17. A handle of a conducted electrical weapon (“

CEW”

) for determining whether a pulse of a stimulus signal provided a predetermined amount of charge, the stimulus signal for impeding locomotion of a human or animal target, the handle comprising;

a processing circuit;

a memory;

a capacitance;

a current source;

a timer;

a signal generator that provides the stimulus signal;

wherein;

the processing circuit discharges the capacitance;

the current source provides a current for a duration of time to charge the capacitance to a first voltage, the duration of time measured by the timer, the duration of time related to the predetermined amount of charge;

the processing circuit records in the memory a magnitude of the first voltage;

the processing circuit discharges the capacitance;

the signal generator provides a pulse of the stimulus signal, providing the pulse charges the capacitance to a second voltage, the second voltage is related to an amount of charge provided by the pulse; and

the processing circuit compares the magnitude of the first voltage to a magnitude of the second voltage to determine whether the pulse provided the predetermined amount of charge.

18. The handle of claim 17 further comprising a switch, wherein the processing circuit closes the switch to discharge the capacitance until a magnitude of a voltage across the capacitance is about zero.

19. The handle of claim 17 wherein for the current source to provide the current for the duration of time, the processing circuit:

initializes the timer;

starts the timer counting;

instructs the current source to provide the current;

detects the timer has counted the duration of time; and

instructs the current source to stop providing the current.

20. The handle of claim 17 wherein the current is substantially constant over a range of temperature.

21. The handle of claim 17 wherein the processing circuit determines that when the magnitude of the first voltage is greater than the magnitude of the second voltage, the amount of charge provided by the pulse is less than the predetermined amount of charge.

22. The handle of claim 17 wherein the processing circuit determines that when the magnitude of the first voltage is less than the magnitude of the second voltage, the amount of charge provided by the pulse is greater than the predetermined amount of charge.