Automatic power switching in a defibrillator
First Claim
1. A power supply switching circuit for use in a portable external defibrillator, said portable external defibrillator being operable for generating defibrillation pulses, the power supply switching circuit comprising:
- an output;
a plurality of power sources;
a plurality of power supply ports, each port configured to receive one of said power sources, wherein said plurality of power sources are at least one of external power sources or batteries, wherein said batteries are at least one of smart batteries or dumb batteries, said smart batteries including monitoring devices, and said dumb batteries not including monitoring devices;
a plurality of microprocessor controllable switches for selectively coupling the power supply ports to the output of the power supply switching circuit;
a microprocessor connected to said plurality of power supply ports and to said plurality of microprocessor controllable switches, the microprocessor acquiring data regarding said power sources, said microprocessor processing the data regarding said power sources; and
a control program for controlling the operation of said microprocessor, the control program including a set of criteria that are desired for the operation of the external defibrillator and a selection routine for selecting a power supply port to be coupled to the output of the power supply switching circuit, the selection routine evaluating the data regarding the power sources according to the criteria that are desired for the operation of the external defibrillator, the selection routine including a subroutine suitable for evaluating the data regarding the smart battery power sources and for determining a set of smart batteries that are capable of powering the external defibrillator, and from the set of smart batteries selecting the best smart battery according to the criteria that are desired for the operation of the external defibrillator.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for providing automatic power switching in a portable external defibrillator is disclosed. The power supply switching circuit includes a plurality of power supply ports for receiving power sources such as batteries and external power sources. The power supply switching circuit works with both batteries that include monitoring devices (smart batteries) and batteries that do not include monitoring devices (dumb batteries). The power supply switching circuit also includes microprocessor controllable switches for selectively coupling the power supply ports to the output of the power supply switching circuit, and a microprocessor for controlling the switches and for monitoring the power supply ports. Resident in the microprocessor is a control program for controlling the switching and monitoring operations. The control program uses data received from the power sources to select the best available power source to be used as the output for the power supply switching circuit. The control program has routines for monitoring both smart and dumb batteries, and the power supply switching circuit can thus use a combination of smart and dumb batteries. In one test, a load is placed on a battery and then the output voltage of the battery is measured. A user of the defibrillator is kept completely informed as to the status of the power sources through information that is provided from a display or auditory signals. For smart batteries, a fuel gauge is provided on the display. Warnings are provided when a battery needs changing, or when other user action is required.
69 Citations
30 Claims
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1. A power supply switching circuit for use in a portable external defibrillator, said portable external defibrillator being operable for generating defibrillation pulses, the power supply switching circuit comprising:
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an output;
a plurality of power sources;
a plurality of power supply ports, each port configured to receive one of said power sources, wherein said plurality of power sources are at least one of external power sources or batteries, wherein said batteries are at least one of smart batteries or dumb batteries, said smart batteries including monitoring devices, and said dumb batteries not including monitoring devices;
a plurality of microprocessor controllable switches for selectively coupling the power supply ports to the output of the power supply switching circuit;
a microprocessor connected to said plurality of power supply ports and to said plurality of microprocessor controllable switches, the microprocessor acquiring data regarding said power sources, said microprocessor processing the data regarding said power sources; and
a control program for controlling the operation of said microprocessor, the control program including a set of criteria that are desired for the operation of the external defibrillator and a selection routine for selecting a power supply port to be coupled to the output of the power supply switching circuit, the selection routine evaluating the data regarding the power sources according to the criteria that are desired for the operation of the external defibrillator, the selection routine including a subroutine suitable for evaluating the data regarding the smart battery power sources and for determining a set of smart batteries that are capable of powering the external defibrillator, and from the set of smart batteries selecting the best smart battery according to the criteria that are desired for the operation of the external defibrillator. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A power switching circuit comprising an output and a plurality of power sources, the power switching circuit for use in a portable electronic device and automatically switching power in the portable electronic device between the plurality of power sources, the portable electronic device having criteria established for selecting power sources, the output of the power switching circuit being coupled to the power sources, wherein said plurality of power sources are at least one of external power sources or batteries, wherein said batteries are at least one of smart batteries or dumb batteries, said smart batteries including monitoring devices, and said dumb batteries not including monitoring devices, the power switching circuit further comprising:
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(a) a plurality of power supply ports, each port for coupling to and receiving power from one of said power sources;
(b) a power output for providing power to the portable electronic device;
(c) a plurality of switches for selectively connecting the power supply ports to the power output; and
(d) a microprocessor that is programmed to select the best available power source according to the criteria established for the portable electronic device, said microprocessor coupled to said power supply ports and to said plurality of switches for;
(i) automatically monitoring said plurality of power supply ports to determine the presence and status of power sources when said power sources are coupled to said plurality of power supply ports, said automatic monitoring including determining the presence of said external power source and the status of both smart and dumb batteries; and
(ii) determining if batteries are in a low battery condition and selecting the best available power source for said portable electronic device based on criteria established for the portable electronic device, including selecting the best battery from a plurality of batteries that are determined to not be in a low battery condition by the microprocessor; and
(iii) controlling said plurality of switches to switch the power supply port associated with the selected best available power source to be connected to said power output. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for providing automatic power switching in a portable electronic device, the portable electronic device including input ports for receiving power sources such as batteries and external power sources, the portable electronic device also including a microprocessor coupled to the power sources and to a series of switches for evaluating the power sources and for selectively coupling the power sources to the power input of the portable electronic device, the method comprising:
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(a) determining if an external power source is available and, if it is, using the external power source as the power source for the portable electronic device;
(b) if an external power source is not available, determining what batteries are available and their status; and
(c) of the available batteries, evaluating the batteries to determine the best battery according to a predefined criteria; and
(d) using the best battery as the power source for the portable electronic device until the predefined criteria of the battery reaches a low level that defines a switching point, at which time a different power source is used. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method for operating a power supply switching circuit, the power supply switching circuit being for use in a portable external defibrillator, said portable external defibrillator being operable for generating defibrillation pulses, the power supply switching circuit comprising:
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an output;
a plurality of power sources;
a plurality of power supply ports, each port configured to receive one of said power sources, wherein said plurality of power sources are at least one of external power sources or batteries, wherein said batteries are at least one of smart batteries or dumb batteries, said smart batteries including monitoring devices, and said dumb batteries not including monitoring devices;
a plurality of microprocessor controllable switches for selectively coupling the power supply ports to the output of the power supply switching circuit;
a microprocessor connected to said plurality of power supply ports and to said plurality of microprocessor controllable switches;
the method comprising;
establishing a set of criteria that are desired for the operation of the external defibrillator;
using said microprocessor to acquire data regarding the power sources;
establishing a selection routine for selecting a power source to be coupled to the output of the power supply switching circuit, the selection routine evaluating the data regarding the power sources according to the criteria that are desired for the operation of the external defibrillator, the selection routine including a subroutine suitable for evaluating the data regarding the smart battery power sources and for determining a set of smart batteries that are capable of powering the external defibrillator, and from the set of smart batteries selecting the best smart battery according to the criteria that are desired for the operation of the external defibrillator. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification