Remote battery monitoring
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A battery information collection system for collecting information on a plurality of batteries in use at a first site, the system comprising:
- for each battery, an associated data collection unit having at least one sensor coupled to the battery for sensing an operating characteristic thereof, and a wireless transmitter for wirelessly transmitting signals that include operating data representative of the sensed operating characteristic and identification information that can be used to uniquely identify the battery;
at least one site wireless receiver located at the first site for receiving from at least some of the data collection units the signals transmitted thereby including the operating data and identification information; and
a controller connected by a communications link to the at least one site receiver for receiving therefrom the operating data and identification information for a plurality of the data collection units.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A battery information collection system for collecting information on one or more batteries in use at a first site. The system comprises a data collection unit associated with each of the one or more batteries, the data collection unit including a sensor coupled to the battery associated therewith and a transmitter for sending battery operating data to a receiver. One or more controllers receive the battery operating data for a plurality of batteries and generate notifications upon detecting certain conditions.
125 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A battery information collection system for collecting information on a plurality of batteries in use at a first site, the system comprising:
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for each battery, an associated data collection unit having at least one sensor coupled to the battery for sensing an operating characteristic thereof, and a wireless transmitter for wirelessly transmitting signals that include operating data representative of the sensed operating characteristic and identification information that can be used to uniquely identify the battery;
at least one site wireless receiver located at the first site for receiving from at least some of the data collection units the signals transmitted thereby including the operating data and identification information; and
a controller connected by a communications link to the at least one site receiver for receiving therefrom the operating data and identification information for a plurality of the data collection units. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A battery information data collection unit for use with a rechargeable battery, the unit comprising:
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at least one sensor coupled to the battery for measuring over time at least one operating characteristic of the battery;
a processor connected to the one or more sensors for receiving the measured operating characteristic and generating battery operating data representative of the measured operating characteristic;
a storage element connected to the processor for storing the battery operating data; and
a wireless transmitter connected to the processor for communicating the battery operating data to a receiver. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An automated method for collecting battery information for battery powered devices operating at a site having at least one wireless receiver for receiving wirelessly transmitted information from a plurality of data collection units each associated with a respective battery located within a coverage area of the wireless receiver, the method comprising:
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periodically receiving through the wireless receiver battery operating data transmitted from at least some of the data collection units, the battery operating data received from each data collection unit being representative of an operational status of the battery associated therewith; and
monitoring the received battery operating data to detect at least one condition indicating that maintenance activity in respect of one or more of the batteries is required and if the at least one condition is detected, generating a notification message for the one or more batteries. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification