Battery capacity indicator
First Claim
1. A battery capacity indicator for providing a continuous indication of battery capacity for a battery powered device, comprising:
- means for periodically effecting a first and a second positive discharge rate of the battery;
voltage measurement means, for measuring the battery terminal voltage at said first and second positive discharge rates during the operation of the device, and for generating a differential battery voltage value in response thereto;
memory means for storing a set of predetermined differential battery voltage values and a set of predetermined battery capacity values, each of the set of predetermined differential battery voltage values defining one of the set of predetermined battery capacity values;
comparison means, coupled to said memory means and to said voltage measurement means, for comparing the measured differential battery voltage values with the set of predetermined differential battery voltage values, and for selecting the predetermined battery capacity value corresponding thereto; and
display means, coupled to said comparison means, for displaying indicia indicating the selected predetermined battery capacity value corresponding to the current battery capacity.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A battery capacity indicator is described which measures the battery terminal voltage at two discharge rates, monitoring the resultant differential battery voltage at predetermined time intervals, and comparing the resultant differential battery voltage to a set of predetermined differential battery voltages which are stored within a memory within the battery powered device. Each of the predetermined differential battery voltages corresponds to one of a set of predetermined battery capacities for each type of battery used in the device. The battery capacity indicator provides to the user a continuous display of the available battery capacity.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A battery capacity indicator for providing a continuous indication of battery capacity for a battery powered device, comprising:
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means for periodically effecting a first and a second positive discharge rate of the battery; voltage measurement means, for measuring the battery terminal voltage at said first and second positive discharge rates during the operation of the device, and for generating a differential battery voltage value in response thereto; memory means for storing a set of predetermined differential battery voltage values and a set of predetermined battery capacity values, each of the set of predetermined differential battery voltage values defining one of the set of predetermined battery capacity values; comparison means, coupled to said memory means and to said voltage measurement means, for comparing the measured differential battery voltage values with the set of predetermined differential battery voltage values, and for selecting the predetermined battery capacity value corresponding thereto; and display means, coupled to said comparison means, for displaying indicia indicating the selected predetermined battery capacity value corresponding to the current battery capacity. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A battery powered communication receiver having a display for displaying received selective call messages and a battery capacity indicator for providing a continuous display of the battery capacity, comprising:
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a receiver section for receiving selective call messages; a battery saver means, for controlling the power to said receiver section to effect the discharge of the battery at first and second discharge rates; voltage measurement means, for measuring the battery terminal voltage at the first and second discharge rates, and for generating a voltage differential value in response thereto; memory means for storing a set of predetermined differential battery voltage values and a set of predetermined battery capacity values, each of the set of predetermined differential battery voltage values defining one of the set of predetermined battery capacity values; comparison means, coupled to said memory means and to said voltage measurement means, for comparing the measured differential battery voltage values with the set of predetermined voltage differential values, and for selecting the predetermined battery capacity value corresponding thereto; and display means, coupled to decoder means and to said comparison means, for displaying the received selective call messages and further for displaying the indicia indicating the selected predetermined battery capacity value. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for providing a continuous indication of battery capacity for a battery powered portable communication receiver with a display, the receiver having at least two periodically effected discharge rate states, said method comprising the steps of:
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measuring the battery terminal voltage at the first discharge rate during the operation of the device; measuring the battery terminal voltage at the second discharge rate during the operation of the device; computing the value of the differential battery voltage value measured therebetween; comparing the computed voltage differential value with a set of predetermined differential battery voltage values, each of the predetermined differential battery voltage values defining a predetermined battery capacity; and displaying an indication of the predetermined battery capacity corresponding to the computed voltage differential value to indicate the current battery capacity. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification