Method for updating a discharge battery profile

• US 10,859,633 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2019
• Issued: 12/08/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Original Assignee: Oticon A/S (William Demant Fonden)
• Inventors: Christensen, Jess
• Primary Examiner(s): Assouad, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pretlow, Demetrius R
• Application Number:
  US16/297,296
• Publication Number:
  US 20190277921A1
• Time in Patent Office: 641 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/16542 for batteries charge condition monitoring in G01R31/36
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3648 comprising digital calculation means, e.g. for performing an algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/367 Software therefor, e.g. for battery testing using modelling or look-up tables
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/374 with means for correcting the measurement for temperature or ageing
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3835 involving only voltage measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3842 combining voltage and current measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/31 Aspects of the use of accumulators in hearing aids, e.g. rechargeable batteries or fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/33 Aspects relating to adaptation of the battery voltage, e.g. its regulation, increase or decrease
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/30 Monitoring or testing of hearing aids, e.g. functioning, settings, battery power
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/552 Binaural
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils

Abstract

The disclosure presents a method and a hearing aid with an improved method for updating a discharge charging profile of a battery. The method comprises following steps;

• • receiving during a first discharge step of the plurality of discharge steps a first primary battery voltage from a voltage monitor unit,
  • receiving during the first discharge step a first primary charge from a charge monitor unit or a storing unit,
  • determining a first secondary charge, where the first secondary charge is one or more discharge steps lower than the first primary charge,
  • determining a first secondary battery voltage difference to be equal to a secondary battery voltage difference of a plurality of secondary battery voltage differences relative to the first secondary charge, wherein the plurality of secondary battery voltage differences is stored in the storing unit,
  • determining a first secondary battery voltage to be equal to a secondary battery voltage of the plurality of secondary battery voltages relative to the first secondary charge,
  • determining a first primary battery voltage difference between the first secondary battery voltage and the first primary battery voltage,
  • determining a new battery voltage difference based on a first weight of the first primary battery voltage difference and a second weight of the first secondary battery voltage difference, and
  • updating the discharge battery profile with the new battery voltage difference.

Claims

1. A method for updating a discharge battery profile (DBP) of a battery during a plurality of discharge steps, wherein the discharge battery profile (DBP) comprises a plurality of secondary battery voltages (V2′

) and a plurality of secondary charges (I2′

), where the plurality of the secondary battery voltages includes measured battery voltage values at different secondary charge values (I2) of the plurality of secondary charges (I2′

), and where the discharge battery profile is stored in a storing unit, the method comprising;

receiving during a first discharge step of the plurality of discharge steps a first primary battery voltage (V11) from a voltage monitor unit,

receiving during the first discharge step a first primary charge (I11) from a charge monitor unit or a storing unit,

determining a first secondary charge (I12), where the first secondary charge (I12) is one or more discharge steps lower than the first primary charge (I11),

determining a first secondary battery voltage difference (Δ

V12) to be equal to a secondary battery voltage difference (Δ

V2) of a plurality of secondary battery voltage differences (Δ

V2′

) relative to the first secondary charge (I12), wherein the plurality of secondary battery voltage differences (Δ

V2′

) is stored in the storing unit,

determining a first secondary battery voltage (V12) to be equal to a secondary battery voltage (V2) of the plurality of secondary battery voltages (V2′

) relative to the first secondary charge (I12),

determining a first primary battery voltage difference (Δ

V11) between the first secondary battery voltage (V12) and the first primary battery voltage (V11),

determining a new battery voltage difference (Δ

Vnew) based on a first weight (W1) of the first primary battery voltage difference (Δ

V11) and a second weight (W2) of the first secondary battery voltage difference (Δ

V12), and

updating the discharge battery profile (DBP) with the new battery voltage difference (Δ

Vnew).

2. The method according to claim 1, receiving the first primary charge (I11) from the storing unit, and wherein the first primary charge (I11) is equal to a secondary charge (I2) of the plurality of secondary charges (I2′

) relative to the first primary voltage (V11), then the method further comprising;

receiving a second primary charge (I21) from a charge monitor unit during a second discharge step of the plurality of discharge steps, wherein the second primary charge (e) is larger than the first primary charge (I11),

receiving a second primary battery voltage (V21) from the voltage monitor unit during the second discharge step, r

determining the first primary battery voltage difference (Δ

V11) between the first secondary battery voltage (V12) and the second primary battery voltage (V21) during or after the second discharge step, and

determining the new battery voltage difference (Δ

Vnew) and updating the discharge battery profile (DBP) with the new battery voltage difference (Δ

Vnew) relative to the second primary charge (I21).

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the updating of the discharge battery profile (DBP) comprising;

replacing a secondary battery voltage (V2) of the plurality of secondary battery voltages (V2′

) relative to a primary charge (I1) with a new battery voltage (Vnew) relative to the primary charge (I1), such as the first primary charge (I11) or the second primary charge (I21),

determining another primary charge (I1′

) by subtracting one or more discharge steps of the primary charge (I1), and

wherein the new battery voltage (Vnew) is determined by subtracting a secondary battery voltage (V2) of the plurality of secondary battery voltages (V2′

) relative to the another primary charge (I1′

) with the new battery voltage difference (Δ

Vnew) relative to the primary charge (I1).

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first weight (W1) and the second weight (W2) are changing relative to a ratio between a primary battery voltage (V1, V11, V21), such as the first primary battery voltage (V11) or the second primary battery voltage (V21), and a secondary battery voltage (V2, V12, V22) of the plurality of secondary battery voltages (V2′

), such as the first secondary battery voltage (V12) or the second secondary battery voltage (V22).

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first weight (W1) increases and the second weight (W2) decreases when a primary battery voltage (V1), such as the first primary battery voltage (V11) or the second primary battery voltage (V21), is larger than a secondary battery voltage (V2) of the plurality of secondary battery voltages (V2′

), and wherein the first weight (W1) decreases and the second weight (W2) increases when the primary battery voltage (V1) is smaller than the secondary battery voltage (V2) of the plurality of secondary battery voltages (V2′

).

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the determining of the new battery voltage difference (Δ

Vnew) is based on an equation defined as;

Δ

Vnew[n]=1/α

*Δ

V1[n]+(1−

α

)/α

*Δ

V2[n−

1],

where n is a number of discharge steps, where the number of discharge steps is between 0.1 Coulomb to 10 Coulomb, Δ

Vnew[n] is the new battery voltage difference, Δ

V1[n] is a primary battery voltage difference, such as the first primary battery voltage difference (Δ

V11), Δ

V2[n−

1] is a secondary battery voltage difference, such as the first secondary battery voltage difference (Δ

V12), 1/α

is the first weight (W1) and (1−

α

)/α

is the second weight (W2), and α

is a constant.

7. A method according to claim 3, wherein determining of a charge capacity (Cc) of the battery comprising;

determining whether the new battery voltage (Vnew) relative to the primary charge (I1) is larger than a dormant voltage threshold (Vth), where the dormant voltage threshold (Vth) is received from the storing unit,

extrapolating a final battery voltage (VFB) at a relative final charge (CF), where the relative final charge (CF) is received from the storing unit, and

interpolating the charge capacity (Cc) at the dormant voltage threshold (Vth) between the new battery voltage (Vnew) and the final battery voltage (VFB).

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein a remaining battery capacity is estimated by the ratio between the primary charge (I1) relative to the new battery voltage (Vnew) and the charge capacity (Cc) of the battery.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the determining of the new battery voltage difference (Δ

Vnew) comprises a temperature correction coefficient for correcting an offset in the new battery voltage difference (Vnew).

10. A method according to claim 1, comprising measuring or estimating of a temperature at the battery, and the updating of the discharge battery profile (DBP) stops when the temperature is below a minimum temperature threshold.

11. A hearing aid configured to compensate a hearing loss of a user wearing the hearing aid, wherein the hearing aid comprises,

a microphone configured to receive an acoustical signal and convert the acoustical signal into an audio signal,

a processor unit configured to process the audio signal with a hearing loss profile of the user,

a speaker unit configured to emit the processed audio signal with the hearing loss profile into the ear of the user,

a voltage monitor unit configured to measure and transmit a primary battery voltage (V11, V21),

a charge monitor unit configured to measure and transmit a primary charge (I11, I21),

a storing unit,

and wherein the processor unit is configured to perform the method (100) according to claim 1.

12. A hearing aid according to claim 11, comprising a temperature sensor, and wherein the hearing aid is configured to determine the new battery voltage difference (Δ

Vnew) using a temperature correction coefficient for correcting an offset in the new battery voltage difference (Vnew).

13. An integrated circuit configured to perform the method according to claim 1.

14. A method according to claim 2, wherein the updating of the discharge battery profile (DBP) comprising;

replacing a secondary battery voltage (V2) of the plurality of secondary battery voltages (V2′

) relative to a primary charge (I1) with a new battery voltage (Vnew) relative to the primary charge (I1), such as the first primary charge (I11) or the second primary charge (I21),

determining another primary charge (I1′

) by subtracting one or more discharge steps of the primary charge (I1), and

wherein the new battery voltage (Vnew) is determined by subtracting a secondary battery voltage (V2) of the plurality of secondary battery voltages (V2′

) relative to the another primary charge (I1′

) with the new battery voltage difference (Δ

Vnew) relative to the primary charge (I1).

15. A method according to claim 2, wherein the first weight (W1) and the second weight (W2) are changing relative to a ratio between a primary battery voltage (V1, V11, V21), such as the first primary battery voltage (V11) or the second primary battery voltage (V21), and a secondary battery voltage (V2, V12, V22) of the plurality of secondary battery voltages (V2′

), such as the first secondary battery voltage (V12) or the second secondary battery voltage (V22).

16. A method according to claim 3, wherein the first weight (W1) and the second weight (W2) are changing relative to a ratio between a primary battery voltage (V1, V11, V21), such as the first primary battery voltage (V11) or the second primary battery voltage (V21), and a secondary battery voltage (V2, V12, V22) of the plurality of secondary battery voltages (V2′

), such as the first secondary battery voltage (V12) or the second secondary battery voltage (V22).

17. A method according to claim 2, wherein the first weight (W1) increases and the second weight (W2) decreases when a primary battery voltage (V1), such as the first primary battery voltage (V11) or the second primary battery voltage (V21), is larger than a secondary battery voltage (V2) of the plurality of secondary battery voltages (V2′

), and wherein the first weight (W1) decreases and the second weight (W2) increases when the primary battery voltage (V1) is smaller than the secondary battery voltage (V2) of the plurality of secondary battery voltages (V2′

).

18. A method according to claim 3, wherein the first weight (W1) increases and the second weight (W2) decreases when a primary battery voltage (V1), such as the first primary battery voltage (V11) or the second primary battery voltage (V21), is larger than a secondary battery voltage (V2) of the plurality of secondary battery voltages (V2′

), and wherein the first weight (W1) decreases and the second weight (W2) increases when the primary battery voltage (V1) is smaller than the secondary battery voltage (V2) of the plurality of secondary battery voltages (V2′

).

19. A method according to claim 4, wherein the first weight (W1) increases and the second weight (W2) decreases when a primary battery voltage (V1), such as the first primary battery voltage (V11) or the second primary battery voltage (V21), is larger than a secondary battery voltage (V2) of the plurality of secondary battery voltages (V2′

), and wherein the first weight (W1) decreases and the second weight (W2) increases when the primary battery voltage (V1) is smaller than the secondary battery voltage (V2) of the plurality of secondary battery voltages (V2′

).

20. A method according to claim 2, wherein the determining of the new battery voltage difference (Δ

Vnew) is based on an equation defined as;

Δ

Vnew[n]=1/α

*Δ

V1[n]+(1−

α

)/α

*Δ

V2[n−

1],

where n is a number of discharge steps, where the number of discharge steps is between 0.1 Coulomb to 10 Coulomb, Δ

Vnew[n] is the new battery voltage difference, Δ

V1[n] is a primary battery voltage difference, such as the first primary battery voltage difference (Δ

V11), Δ

V2[n−

1] is a secondary battery voltage difference, such as the first secondary battery voltage difference (Δ

V12), 1/α

is the first weight (W1) and (1−

α

)/α

is the second weight (W2), and α

is a constant.