Battery management system and charger

• US 8,131,488 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2010
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Medical Systems Corporation (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Kagawa, Ryohei
• Primary Examiner(s): Khuu, Cindy H
• Application Number:
  US12/789,753
• Publication Number:
  US 20100241377A1
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• Field of Search: 702/63
• US Class Current: 702/63
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/441 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00038 using passive battery identification means, e.g. resistors or capacitors identification by mechanical connections H02J7/0045
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery management system includes a battery attached with an identification ID; and a plurality of chargers for reading the identification ID attached to the battery, the chargers associating the read identification ID with information indicative of an end of charging the battery and sending the information, the chargers charging the battery. The battery management system also includes a management server connected to each of the chargers for receiving the information indicative of the end of charging the battery associated with the identification ID and sent from each of the chargers. The management server cumulatively sums, as the number of chargings, the number of receptions of the information indicative of the end of charging the battery for each identification ID, and the management server associates the identification ID with the cumulatively summed number of chargings and allows the number of chargings to be recorded.

Claims

1. A battery management system comprising:

a plurality of receivers, each comprising a corresponding battery, wherein the corresponding battery is loaded into each of the plurality of receivers and each corresponding battery comprises an identification ID attached thereto, wherein each of the plurality of receivers is configured for reading the identification ID attached to the corresponding battery;

a plurality of chargers configured for charging the battery to which the plurality of receivers are respectively mounted; and

a management server connected to each of the chargers and configured for receiving information sent from each of the chargers;

wherein;

the receiver is configured for;

detecting a number of times of transfers of the image data by the charger;

recording received image data;

associating a receiver identification ID with the detected number of times of transfers; and

allowing the detected number of times of transfer of the image data to be recorded corresponding to the receiver identification ID;

the plurality of chargers are configured for;

acquiring the receiver identification ID, the number of times of transfers, and the image data recorded in the receiver; and

sending the image data together with the number of the transfers of the image data associated with the receiver identification ID; and

the management server is configured for;

receiving information sent from each of the chargers regarding the number of times of transfers of the image data associated with the receiver identification ID;

cumulatively summing the received number of times of transfer of the image data for each receiver identification ID;

associating the receiver identification ID with the cumulatively summed number of chargings and allowing the number of chargings to be recorded; and

determining that the corresponding battery has reached its useful life limit when the cumulatively summed number of transfers has reached a predetermined number.

2. The battery management system according to claim 1, wherein the charger is configured to create an image data packet comprising the image data and a packet header comprising the number of times of transfer associated with the receiver identification ID.

3. The battery management system according to claim 1, wherein the charger is configured to erase from the receiver the number of times of transfer that is acquired by the charger.

4. The battery management system according to claim 3, wherein

the battery attached with the identification ID is loaded in a processing device for performing predetermined processing;

in place of the number of chargings of the battery, the charger associates the identification ID with the number of times of processing performed by the processing device and sends the number of times of processing; and

the management server receives the number of times of processing associated with the identification ID and sent from each of the chargers, the management server cumulatively summing the number of times of processing for each identification ID, the management server associating the identification ID with the cumulatively summed number of times of processing and allowing the number of times of processing to be recorded, the management server managing battery service life based on the number of times of processing.