Method and apparatus for managing battery power in emergency vehicles
First Claim
1. A method for battery power management in an emergency vehicle having its engine off and warning lights on, comprising:
- monitoring a voltage level of a battery of the emergency vehicle;
determining if the battery voltage level is below a predetermined threshold, wherein if it is determined that the battery voltage level is below the predetermined threshold,automatically starting the emergency vehicle'"'"'s engine to charge the battery;
determining if the emergency vehicle'"'"'s battery is charged, wherein if it is determined that the emergency vehicle'"'"'s battery is charged,automatically turning off the emergency vehicle'"'"'s engine, wherein the monitoring of the battery voltage level is resumed,determining the time period between automatic starts of the emergency vehicle'"'"'s engine to charge the battery; and
adjusting the idle period of the emergency vehicle'"'"'s engine based on the determined time period.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for battery power management in an emergency vehicle having its engine off and warning lights on is disclosed. The method may include monitoring a voltage level of a battery of the emergency vehicle, determining if the battery voltage level is below a predetermined threshold, wherein if it is determined that the battery voltage level is below the predetermined threshold, automatically starting the emergency vehicle'"'"'s engine to charge the battery, determining if the emergency vehicle'"'"'s battery is charged, wherein if it is determined that the emergency vehicle'"'"'s battery is charged, automatically turning off the emergency vehicle'"'"'s engine, wherein the monitoring of the battery voltage level is resumed.
91 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method for battery power management in an emergency vehicle having its engine off and warning lights on, comprising:
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monitoring a voltage level of a battery of the emergency vehicle; determining if the battery voltage level is below a predetermined threshold, wherein if it is determined that the battery voltage level is below the predetermined threshold, automatically starting the emergency vehicle'"'"'s engine to charge the battery; determining if the emergency vehicle'"'"'s battery is charged, wherein if it is determined that the emergency vehicle'"'"'s battery is charged, automatically turning off the emergency vehicle'"'"'s engine, wherein the monitoring of the battery voltage level is resumed, determining the time period between automatic starts of the emergency vehicle'"'"'s engine to charge the battery; and adjusting the idle period of the emergency vehicle'"'"'s engine based on the determined time period. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A battery management unit that manages battery power in an emergency vehicle having its engine off and warning lights on, comprising:
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a battery monitor that monitors a voltage level of a battery of the emergency vehicle; and a controller that determines if the battery voltage level is below a predetermined threshold, wherein if the controller determines that the battery voltage level is below the predetermined threshold, the controller sends a signal to automatically start the emergency vehicle'"'"'s engine to charge the battery, determines if the emergency vehicle'"'"'s battery is charged, wherein if the controller determines that the emergency vehicle'"'"'s battery is charged, the controller sends a signal to automatically turn off the emergency vehicle'"'"'s engine, wherein the battery monitor resumes monitoring of the battery voltage level, wherein the controller determines the time period between automatic starts of the emergency vehicle'"'"'s engine to charge the battery, and adjusts the idle period of the emergency vehicle'"'"'s engine based on the determined time period. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification