Conditioning of a rechargeable battery
First Claim
1. A method of conditioning a rechargeable battery, the method comprising:
- providing a fully charged rechargeable battery;
measuring a discharge time for which the voltage of the battery takes to decrease to a voltage threshold value;
comparing the discharge time to a reference value, and if the discharge time is less than the reference value, shorting the battery through a discharge load to further discharge the battery.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and devices for the conditioning of a rechargeable battery. The methods include providing a fully charged battery and discharging that battery to a voltage threshold value. The time required to discharge the rechargeable battery to the voltage threshold value is measured and then compared to a reference value. If the discharge time is less than the reference value, the battery is then further discharged. The methods can be applied to rechargeable batteries used in consumer products such as electric shaver and electric toothbrushes. The devices include a rechargeable battery, a second device that detects whether the device is connected to an external energy sources, and an electronic circuit. The electronic circuit discharges the battery by way of a load only if the device is connected to an external energy source. The devices can include appliances such as an electronic shaver or an electronic toothbrush.
9 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method of conditioning a rechargeable battery, the method comprising:
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providing a fully charged rechargeable battery;
measuring a discharge time for which the voltage of the battery takes to decrease to a voltage threshold value;
comparing the discharge time to a reference value, and if the discharge time is less than the reference value, shorting the battery through a discharge load to further discharge the battery. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An electrical appliance comprising:
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a discharge load;
a rechargeable battery for powering the electrical appliance connected through a switch to the discharge load for powering the discharge load;
a connector for connecting the appliance to an external source of electrical energy; and
an electronic circuit that discharges the rechargeable battery by shorting the rechargeable battery through the discharge load only while the appliance is connected to the external energy source. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification