BATTERY BEACON SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF USE
First Claim
1. A smart battery having ON/OFF radio control, which comprises:
- a battery body with housing,an internal electrochemical power cell, said power cell defining an anode and a cathode, anodic pole, cathodic pole,an internal processor with low energy radioset and supporting logic circuitry (“
radio circuitry”
),an instruction set in non-volatile memory, wherein said instruction set is executable by said processor, and wherein said processor and radio circuitry are powered by a first power circuit connected to said power cell; and
,further characterized by an ON/OFF switch positioned on a second power circuit connected to said power cell in parallel to said first power circuit, wherein said switch is electronically operated by said processor and low energy radioset under control from an external radio transmitter, and wherein, when closed, said second power circuit relays a voltage and current from said power cell to said external anodic and cathodic poles and, when open, said second power circuit is not powered.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A device for operation as part of a system or network, the device combining a power cell, a battery housing enclosing the power cell, and a radiobeacon, where the battery is configured to supply DC power to an external apparatus and to the radiobeacon in parallel. A sensor or sensor package may also be included in the battery device and reports to the system or network. In response to a sensor or clock-derived trigger, a microcontroller in the battery uses the radiobeacon to broadcast messages to a radio receiver of a smart device or a network system. The radiobeacon has a unique identifier, and because the messages are low energy, low power radio transmissions having a maximum range of less that about 300 ft (about 100 m). A smart device with an installed application and appropriate permissions that receives the beacon signal may track, map and monitor the signal from the device. The device may be provided with a kill switch. In another instance, the device, including a sensor package and radiobeacon, clips on to the battery and can cut off or turn on battery power to an appliance using a radio command.
34 Citations
28 Claims
-
1. A smart battery having ON/OFF radio control, which comprises:
-
a battery body with housing, an internal electrochemical power cell, said power cell defining an anode and a cathode, anodic pole, cathodic pole, an internal processor with low energy radioset and supporting logic circuitry (“
radio circuitry”
),an instruction set in non-volatile memory, wherein said instruction set is executable by said processor, and wherein said processor and radio circuitry are powered by a first power circuit connected to said power cell; and
,further characterized by an ON/OFF switch positioned on a second power circuit connected to said power cell in parallel to said first power circuit, wherein said switch is electronically operated by said processor and low energy radioset under control from an external radio transmitter, and wherein, when closed, said second power circuit relays a voltage and current from said power cell to said external anodic and cathodic poles and, when open, said second power circuit is not powered. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 26)
-
-
11. A radiojacket for contacting the poles of a battery and for relaying power from said poles to a load under external radio control, which comprises:
-
a radiojacket body with sleeve, anodic end, cathodic end, and internal pocket in said sleeve for receiving an exchangeable battery, said anodic end having an internal anode contact and said cathodic end having an internal cathode contact configured to receive said poles thereof, and said anodic end having an external anode contact and said cathodic end having an external cathode contact configured to convey electric power to a load; said radiojacket body comprising a microcontroller with low energy radioset and supporting logic circuitry (“
radio circuitry”
), an instruction set in non-volatile memory, wherein said instruction set is executable by said microcontroller, and wherein said microcontroller and radio circuitry are powered by a first power circuit connected across said internal anode contact and said internal cathode contact; and
,further characterized by an ON/OFF switch positioned on a second power circuit connected to said power cell in parallel to said first power circuit, wherein said switch is electronically operated by said microcontroller and low energy radioset under control from an external radio transmitter, and wherein, when closed, said second power circuit relays a voltage and current from said power cell to said external anode and cathode contacts and, when open, said second power circuit is not powered. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
-
-
22. A system for operating a radiojacket, said radiojacket having a microcontroller, a radio set, supporting circuitry, an ON/OFF switch for controlling a battery, and a cradle with anodic end and cathodic end for reversibly connecting the poles of a battery to contacts on said anodic end and cathodic end, wherein said system further comprises:
-
a network with administrative server in radio contact with a plurality of smart devices; instructions for composing a message to be broadcast to at least one said smart device, said message having a unique identifier associated with said radiojacket and with an owner thereof, and a sensor data; capacity, by said smart device or said server, to decode said unique identifier and sensor data, and to generate a rules-based notification to a smart device based on said unique identifier and sensor data. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24)
-
-
25. A radiojacket-battery system removably installable as a power source in a host device and functional as a notification system, which comprises an application which when copied to, installed and executed in a smart device, causes the smart device to:
-
a) detect and identify a radiojacket-battery combination in radio proximity thereto; b) display a setup screen for entering a user profile for one or more radiojacket-battery combinations; c) receive and analyze a radio message containing sensor data from said radiojacket; and
,d) provide a notification service by displaying status reports based on said sensor data on a screen of a smart device. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28)
-
Specification