Systems and methods for remotely determining a battery characteristic

• US 9,726,763 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2014
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Duracell U.S. Operations, Inc. (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Duracell U.S. Operations, Inc. (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Inventors: Dempsey, Nancy Taylor, McGinnis, Karen Coltharp, Joyce, Jonathan Livingston, Sherman, Faiz Feisal, Specht, Steven Jeffrey, Bourilkov, Jordan Todorov, Coronado Hortal, Sergio, Amann, Mathias, Wenzel, Elizabeth Jane
• Primary Examiner(s): Yi, Roy Y
• Application Number:
  US14/259,677
• Publication Number:
  US 20140379285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,203 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/371 with remote indication, e.g. on external chargers
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/382 Arrangements for monitoring battery or accumulator variables, e.g. SoC
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4221 with battery type recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• 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: H01M 10/488 Cells or batteries combined with indicating means for external visualization of the condition, e.g. by change of colour or of light density
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4278 Systems for data transfer from batteries, e.g. transfer of battery parameters to a controller, data transferred between battery controller and main controller
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane

Abstract

Included are embodiments for remotely determining a battery characteristic. Some embodiments include searching for a first wireless signal that identifies the energy storage device and, in response to receiving the first wireless signal, determining a current charge level of the energy storage device. Some embodiments include receiving a second wireless signal from the energy storage device, determining from the second wireless signal, whether the current charge level of the energy storage device reaches a predetermined threshold, and in response to determining that the current charge level of the energy storage device reaches the predetermined threshold, sending, by the computing device, an alert indicating the current charge level.

Claims

1. A computing device for remotely monitoring online battery activity comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory memory component that stores logic that, when executed by the processor, causes the computing device to perform at least the following;

detect a wireless communication signal from a battery;

determine, from the wireless communication signal, a battery characteristic of the battery;

provide, via a software application executing on the computing device, a first user interface that includes data related to the battery characteristic of the battery;

predict an expected time when the battery will be replaced;

in response to determining that the expected time falls within a predetermined timeframe, determine whether an unused battery is available and within a predetermined range;

in response to determining whether the unused battery is available and within the predetermined range, determine whether the unused battery is compatible with a device that the battery currently powers; and

in response to determining that the unused battery is compatible with the device that the battery currently powers, provide, via a software application executing on the computing device, a second user interface that includes a physical location of the unused battery.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the logic further causes the computing device to determine at least one of the following:

a battery type of the battery, a physical location of the battery, and a device that the battery currently powers.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the logic further causes the computing device to, in response to determining that the expected time falls within the predetermined timeframe, facilitate a purchase of a replacement battery.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the logic further causes the computing device to determine a current depletion rate of the battery.

5. The computing device of claim 4, wherein the logic further causes the computing device to determine an external condition that affects the battery characteristic of the battery and utilize the external condition to determine the current depletion rate of the battery.

6. A method for remotely monitoring activity of an energy storage device, comprising:

searching, by a computing device, for a first wireless signal that identifies the energy storage device;

in response to receiving the first wireless signal, determining, by the computing device, a current charge level of the energy storage device;

receiving, by the computing device, a second wireless signal from the energy storage device;

determining, by the computing device from the second wireless signal, whether the current charge level of the energy storage device reaches a predetermined threshold;

in response to determining that the current charge level of the energy storage device reaches the predetermined threshold, sending, by the computing device, an alert indicating the current charge level;

determining whether an unused energy storage device is available and within a predetermined range; and

in response to determining whether the unused energy storage device is available and within the predetermined range, determining whether the unused energy storage device is compatible with a device that the energy storage device currently powers, and in response to determining that the unused energy storage device is compatible with the device that the energy storage device currently powers, providing a user interface that includes a physical location of the energy storage device.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising predicting a time that the current charge level will reach the predetermined threshold.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining at least one of the following:

a device type of the energy storage device, a physical location of the energy storage device, and the device that the energy storage device currently powers.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

in response to determining that no unused energy storage devices are available and within the predetermined range, facilitating an online purchase of a replacement energy storage device.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining an external condition that affects the current charge level of the energy storage device;

predicting, from the external condition, a time that the current charge level of the energy storage device will reach the predetermined threshold; and

providing the time to a user.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising receiving location information of a plurality of energy storage devices that are located within a predetermined range.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for remotely monitoring activity of an energy storage device that stores logic that, when executed by a processor, causes a computing device to perform the following:

search for an incoming wireless signal that identifies the energy storage device;

in response to receiving the wireless signal, determine a current charge level and a depletion rate of the energy storage device;

determine, from the current charge level and the depletion rate, a time when the current charge level of the energy storage device reaches a predetermined threshold;

in response to determining that the current charge level of the energy storage device reaches the predetermined threshold, provide, via a software application executing on the computing device, a first user interface indicating the current charge level;

determine whether an unused energy storage device is available and within a predetermined range;

in response to determining that the unused energy storage device is available and within the predetermined range, determine whether the unused energy storage device is compatible with a device that the energy storage device currently powers, and in response to determining that the unused energy storage device is compatible with the device that the energy storage device currently powers, provide, via a software application executing on the computing device, a second user interface that includes a physical location of the energy storage device; and

in response to determining that no unused energy storage devices are available and within the predetermined range, facilitate a purchase of a replacement energy storage device.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the logic further causes the computing device to predict a time that the current charge level will reach the predetermined threshold.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the logic further causes the computing device to provide a user option for a user to identify the device that the energy storage device currently powers.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the logic further causes the computing device to determine a device type for the energy storage device.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the logic further causes the computing device to perform at least the following:

determine an external condition that affects the current charge level of the energy storage device;

predict, from the external condition, a time that the current charge level of the energy storage device will reach the predetermined threshold; and

provide the time to a user.