BATTERY STATE-OF-CHARGE INDICATION

• US 20190312447A1
• Filed: 04/04/2018
• Published: 10/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Werner, John S., Arenella, Kenneth, Tsfasman, Arkadiy O., Green, Byron S., Schlak, Robert B.
• Granted Patent: US 11,121,569 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/36 Arrangements for testing, measuring or monitoring the electrical condition of accumulators or electric batteries, e.g. capacity or state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3646 for indicating electrical conditions or variables, e.g. visual or audible indicators
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/382 Arrangements for monitoring battery or accumulator variables, e.g. SoC
• 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: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/345 using capacitors as storage or buffering devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A state-of-charge (SOC) circuit can activate an SOC indicator in response to detecting that a charge-storing device has an SOC exceeding a threshold SOC. The SOC circuit can deactivate the SOC indicator in response to detecting that the charge-storing device does not exceed a threshold SOC. The SOC circuit can minimally discharge a charge-storing device that does not exceed the threshold SOC. A container can include a retainer for a charge-storing device and an associated SOC circuit and SOC indicator. The SOC indicator can be observable external to the container. A method for indicating SOC of a charge-storing device can activate an indicator in response to a charge-storing having a voltage exceeding a threshold voltage, and deactivating the indicator in response to the charge-storing having a voltage that does not exceed the threshold voltage. The method can further include minimally discharging the charge-storing device below the threshold voltage.

Claims

1. A state-of-charge (SOC) circuit comprising:

an SOC indicator circuit comprising an SOC indicator;

a first and a second SOC circuit contact; and

,

an SOC threshold circuit, connected to first and second SOC circuit contacts, comprising a reference voltage, an SOC voltage, and a voltage comparator, wherein the reference voltage corresponds to a threshold SOC, wherein the SOC voltage corresponds to an SOC of a charge-storing device connected to the first and second SOC circuit contacts, and wherein the voltage comparator is configured to receive the reference voltage and the SOC voltage and to compare the SOC voltage to the reference voltage;

wherein the SOC threshold circuit is configured to cause the SOC indicator circuit to activate the SOC indicator in response to the voltage comparator comparing the SOC voltage to the reference voltage determining that the SOC voltage exceeds the reference voltage; and

wherein the SOC threshold circuit is further configured to cause the SOC indicator circuit to deactivate the SOC indicator in response to the voltage comparator comparing the SOC voltage to the reference voltage determining that the SOC voltage does not exceed the reference voltage.

2. The SOC circuit of claim 1, wherein the SOC circuit is further configured to minimally discharge the charge-storing device, in response to the voltage comparator comparing the SOC voltage to the reference voltage determining that the SOC voltage does not exceed the reference voltage.

3. The SOC circuit of claim 1, wherein first SOC circuit contact is configured to have a positive electrical polarity;

wherein the second SOC circuit contact is configured to have a negative electrical polarity; and

wherein the SOC circuit further comprises a reverse polarity circuit configured to activate a reverse polarity indicator in response to the first SOC circuit contact connected to the negative polarity contact of the charge-storing device connected to the first and second SOC circuit contacts and the second SOC circuit contact connected to the positive polarity contact of the charge-storing device.

4. The SOC circuit of claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary power source to provide operating power to components of the SOC circuit.

5. The SOC circuit of claim 1, wherein the SOC circuit is further configured to discharge the charge-storing device to the threshold SOC, in response to the voltage comparator comparing the SOC voltage to the reference voltage determining that the SOC voltage exceeds the reference voltage.

6. The SOC circuit of claim 1, wherein the SOC indicator circuit comprises at least one of a visual indicator, an auditory indicator, a display, and a communications interface;

and

wherein the charge-storing device is at least one of a battery, a capacitor, a device including a battery, and a device including a capacitor.

7. A container, the container comprising:

a retainer, within the container, electrically coupled to a first and second SOC circuit contact of an SOC circuit within the container;

a state-of-charge (SOC) indicator configured to be observable external to the container; and

the SOC circuit, wherein the SOC circuit is configured to activate the SOC indicator in response to determining that a charge-storing device, connected by the retainer to the first and second SOC circuit contacts, has a first SOC voltage that exceeds an SOC threshold voltage, the first SOC voltage corresponding to a first SOC of the charge-storing device, and the SOC threshold voltage corresponding to a threshold SOC of the charge-storing device; and

wherein the SOC circuit is further configured to deactivate the SOC indicator in response to determining that the charge-storing device has a second SOC voltage that does not exceed the SOC threshold voltage, the second SOC voltage corresponding to a second SOC of the charge-storing device that does not exceed the threshold SOC.

8. The container of claim 7, wherein the SOC circuit further comprises a reference voltage, an input SOC voltage, and a voltage comparator, wherein the reference voltage corresponds to the threshold SOC;

wherein the input SOC voltage corresponds to a third SOC of the charge-storing device;

wherein the voltage comparator is configured to receive the reference voltage and the input SOC voltage and to compare the input SOC voltage to the reference voltage;

wherein the SOC circuit determining that the charge-storing device has the first SOC voltage comprises the voltage comparator comparing the input SOC voltage to the reference voltage determining that the input SOC voltage exceeds the reference voltage; and

wherein the SOC circuit determining that the charge-storing device has the second SOC voltage comprises the voltage comparator comparing the input SOC voltage to the reference voltage determining that the input SOC voltage does not exceed the reference voltage.

9. The container of claim 7, wherein first SOC circuit contact is configured to have a positive electrical polarity;

wherein the second SOC circuit contact is configured to have a negative electrical polarity; and

wherein the SOC circuit further comprises a reverse polarity indication circuit configured to activate a reverse polarity indicator in response to the first SOC circuit contact connected to the negative polarity contact of the charge-storing device and the second SOC circuit contact connected to the positive polarity contact of the charge-storing device.

10. The container of claim 7, wherein the SOC circuit further comprises a switch to connect and disconnect components of the SOC circuit to the charge-storing device.

11. The container of claim 7, wherein the SOC circuit further comprises an auxiliary power source to provide power to components of the SOC circuit.

12. The container of claim 7, wherein the SOC circuit is further configured to discharge the charge-storing device to the threshold SOC, in response to the determining that the charge storing device has the first SOC voltage.

13. The container of claim 7, wherein the container is configured to perform at least one of storing a charge-storing device in the container and transporting a charge-storing device in the container.

14. The container of claim 7, wherein the container is reusable.

15. The container of claim 7, wherein the charge-storing device is one of a battery, a capacitor, a device including a battery, and a device including a capacitor.

16. The container of claim 7, wherein the SOC indicator comprises at least one of a visual indicator, an auditory indicator, and a display.

17. The container of claim 7, wherein the threshold SOC corresponds to at least one of a regulatory SOC value associated with the charge-storing device, and an SOC for storage of the charge-storing device.

18. A method for indicating state-of-charge (SOC) of a device, the method comprising:

detecting, by a circuit, in response to a charge-storing device connected a first and a second contact of the circuit, a first SOC voltage exceeding an SOC threshold voltage;

activating, by the circuit, in response to the first SOC voltage, an SOC indicator;

detecting, by the circuit, in response to the charge-storing device in contact with the first and second contacts of the circuit, a second SOC voltage not exceeding the SOC threshold voltage;

minimizing, by the circuit, discharge of the charge-storing device by the circuit, in response to detecting that the charge-storing device has the second SOC voltage; and

,

deactivating, by the circuit, in response to the second SOC voltage, the SOC indicator.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first contact of the circuit corresponds to a positive electric polarity and the second contact of the circuit corresponds to a negative electric polarity, and the method further comprises:

detecting, by the circuit, in response to the first contact of the circuit connected to a negative polarity contact of the charge-storing device and the second contact of the circuit connected to a positive polarity contact of the charge-storing device; and

,

activating, by the circuit, in response to the reverse polarity voltage, a reverse polarity indicator;

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising discharging the charge-storing device to the SOC threshold voltage, by the circuit, in response to the detecting that the SOC voltage exceeds the SOC threshold voltage.