STATE-OF-CHARGE INDICATOR
First Claim
1. An indicator device for monitoring a state of charge of one or more batteries or battery packs, the device comprising:
- at least one voltage input connector configured to be electrically coupled to at least one voltage output connector of a battery or battery pack;
control electronics capable of measuring a voltage received from the at least one voltage input connector when the voltage input connector is electrically coupled to the at least one voltage output connector of the battery or battery pack to be monitored, and wherein the control electronics are configured to process an input voltage range and/or a battery discharge characteristic to determine a state of charge; and
at least one indicator which shows the state of charge, wherein the at least one voltage input connector, the control electronics, and the at least one indicator are in electronic communication; and
wherein the state of charge shown by the at least one indicator is related to the voltage measured by the control electronics.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A pluggable state-of-charge (SOC) indicator and methods of use are disclosed. The pluggable SOC indicator includes at least one voltage input jack for connecting to a battery, at least one instance of control electronics, and at least one SOC indicator, such as a 5-bar liquid crystal display (LCD). Embodiments of the pluggable SOC indicator include, but are not limited to, a pluggable single-connector SOC indicator, a pluggable dual-connector SOC indicator, and a pluggable quad-connector SOC indicator. Further, the control electronics are programmable for any input voltage range and/or battery discharge characteristics.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. An indicator device for monitoring a state of charge of one or more batteries or battery packs, the device comprising:
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at least one voltage input connector configured to be electrically coupled to at least one voltage output connector of a battery or battery pack; control electronics capable of measuring a voltage received from the at least one voltage input connector when the voltage input connector is electrically coupled to the at least one voltage output connector of the battery or battery pack to be monitored, and wherein the control electronics are configured to process an input voltage range and/or a battery discharge characteristic to determine a state of charge; and at least one indicator which shows the state of charge, wherein the at least one voltage input connector, the control electronics, and the at least one indicator are in electronic communication; and wherein the state of charge shown by the at least one indicator is related to the voltage measured by the control electronics. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A device for monitoring and communicating a state of charge of one or more batteries or battery packs, the device comprising:
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at least one voltage input connector configured to be electrically coupled to at least one voltage output connector of a battery or battery pack; control electronics capable of measuring a voltage received from the at least one voltage input connector when the voltage input connector is electrically coupled to the at least one voltage output connector of the battery or battery pack to be monitored, and wherein the control electronics are configured to process an input voltage range and/or a battery discharge characteristic to determine a state of charge, wherein the state of charge is related to the voltage measured by the control electronics; and a communications interface configured to communicate information related to the state of charge to a network. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification