APPARATUS, COMPUTER PROGRAM, METHOD, AND SYSTEM FOR ACQUIRING AND ANALYZING BATTERY METRICS

• US 20130245973A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 09/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Smartmed USA Inc.
• Original Assignee: Smartmed USA Inc.
• Inventors: Ross, Charles Andrew Jr., Phillips, Steve, Farnham, James W. IV
• Application Number:
  US13/832,307
• Publication Number:
  US 20130245973A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/63
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/367 Software therefor, e.g. for battery testing using modelling or look-up tables
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/385 Arrangements for measuring battery or accumulator variables for monitoring G01R31/382
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4271 Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4278 Systems for data transfer from batteries, e.g. transfer of battery parameters to a controller, data transferred between battery controller and main controller
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

An apparatus, computer program, method, and system for acquiring and analyzing battery metrics. The apparatus, computer program, method, and system are directed to acquiring operating metrics for a battery, for wirelessly communicating the acquired metrics to a computing device executing the computer program, for determining pertinent operation information associated with battery life from the acquired metrics, and for presenting a user with the metrics, the status information, or the operating parameters of the battery.

Claims

1. A system for acquiring metrics from a battery, comprising:

a battery metric acquisition system for acquiring metrics from a battery; and

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium with a computer program stored thereon, wherein the computer program instructs a processor to perform the following steps—

receive the metrics acquired by the battery metrics acquisition system;

analyze the metrics to determine status information and operating parameters of the battery;

provide to a user a set of computer-executable instructions that when executed by a user'"'"'s computing device, generate a user interface displayable on an electronic display coupled to the user'"'"'s computing device; and

present to the user, via the user interface, one or more of the metrics, the status information, or the operating parameters of the battery.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the metrics are comprised of one or more of the following:

a voltage of the battery, a current of the battery, a temperature of the battery, and an ambient temperature.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the status information is comprised of one or more of the following:

a status of charge of the battery or a status of health of the battery.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the operating parameters include time rates of change of the metrics or one or more of the metrics compared with another metric.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer program further instructs the processor to:

receive a threshold value associated with the battery from the user;

analyze the metrics, the status information, and the operating parameters to determine whether any of the metrics, the status information, or the operating parameters violate the threshold value;

upon determining that any of the metrics, the status information, or the operating parameters violate the threshold value, send an alert the computing device of the user.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the alert includes a text message, an email, or a page.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the step of analyzing the metrics to determine status information and operating parameters includes analyzing known battery specifications.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the known battery specifications include one or more of the following:

a battery chemistry, a battery structure, a battery discharge curve, a battery temperature characteristic, a self-discharge characteristic, and battery cycle life.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the step of presenting to the user the one or more of the metrics, the status information, or the operating parameters of the battery includes presenting the metrics, the status information, or the operating parameters in real-time.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the step of presenting to the user the one or more of the metrics, the status information, or the operating parameters of the battery includes presenting the metrics, the status information, or the operating parameters in a periodic timeframe, with the period of the timeframe selected by the user.

11. A method for acquiring battery metrics from a battery, comprising the steps of:

providing a battery metric acquisition system for acquiring metrics from a battery;

receiving the metrics acquired by the battery metrics acquisition system;

analyzing, via a processor, the metrics to determine status information and operating parameters; and

presenting one or more of the metrics, the status information, or the operating parameters of the battery;

receiving a threshold value associated with the battery;

analyzing, via a processor, the metrics, the status information, and the operating parameters to determine whether any of the metrics, the status information, or the operating parameters violate the threshold value;

upon determining that any of the metrics, the status information, or the operating parameters violate the threshold value, sending an alert.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the metrics are comprised of one or more of the following:

a voltage of the battery, a current of the battery, a temperature of the battery, and an ambient temperature.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the status information is comprised of one or more of the following:

a status of charge of the battery or a status of health of the battery.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the operating parameters include time rates of change of the metrics or one or more of the metrics compared with another metric.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of sending an alert includes sending a text message, an email, or a page.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of analyzing the metrics to determine status information and operating parameters includes analyzing known battery specifications.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the known battery specifications include on or more of the following:

a battery chemistry, a battery structure, a battery discharge curve, a battery temperature characteristic, a self-discharge characteristic, and battery cycle life.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of presenting the one or more of the metrics, the status information, or the operating parameters of the battery includes presenting the metrics, the status information, or the operating parameters in real-time.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of presenting one or more of the metrics, the status information, or the operating parameters of the battery includes presenting the metrics, the status information, or the operating parameters in a periodically.