Battery state-of-charge indication

• US 11,121,569 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2018
• Issued: 09/14/2021
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Werner, John S., Arenella, Kenneth, Tsfasman, Arkadiy O., Green, Byron S., Schlak, Robert B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Isla, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Torres Ruiz, Johali A
• Application Number:
  US15/945,209
• Publication Number:
  US 20190312447A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,259 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/36 Arrangements for testing, measuring or monitoring the electrical condition of accumulators or electric batteries, e.g. capacity or state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3646 for indicating electrical conditions or variables, e.g. visual or audible indicators
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/382 Arrangements for monitoring battery or accumulator variables, e.g. SoC
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/385 Arrangements for measuring battery or accumulator variables for monitoring G01R31/382
• 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: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/345 using capacitors as storage or buffering devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A state-of-charge (SOC) circuit makes a continuous contact with terminals of a battery and monitors voltage of the battery to detect that the battery has an SOC greater than a threshold SOC. In response, the SOC circuit establishes a state of an SOC indicator to indicate that the battery has an SOC greater than the threshold SOC. The threshold SOC corresponds to an SOC of the battery for storing or transporting the battery, and can correspond to a governmental regulatory or commercial SOC. A container for storing and/or transporting a battery includes an SOC circuit and SOC indicator to detect and indicate that a battery, held in the container, has an SOC greater than the threshold SOC. A method uses an SOC circuit and SOC indicator to detect and indicate that a battery has an SOC greater than the threshold SOC.

Claims

1. A shipping container, the shipping container comprising:

a plurality of retainers, each of the plurality of retainers configured to hold a respective battery for transport in the shipping container, the respective battery among a first plurality of batteries for transport in the shipping container;

a plurality of state-of-charge (SOC) indicators, each of the plurality of SOC indicators located on an external surface of the shipping container; and

,

a plurality of SOC circuits,

wherein each of the plurality of SOC circuits is integrated into a respective retainer, among the plurality of retainers;

wherein each of the plurality of SOC circuits is communicatively coupled to a respective SOC indicator among the plurality of SOC indicators;

wherein each of the plurality of SOC circuits comprises polarity contacts configured to make electrical contact with polarity contacts of the respective battery, the electrical contact established by insertion of the respective battery into the respective retainer and continuous while the respective battery is held by the respective retainer for transport; and

,

wherein each of the plurality of SOC circuits is configured to;

detect, based on the continuous electrical contact, that the respective battery has an SOC greater than a threshold SOC;

in response to the detecting that the respective battery has the SOC greater than the threshold SOC, place the respective SOC indicator in a state indicative of the respective battery having the SOC greater than the threshold SOC;

detect, based on the continuous electrical contact with the respective battery, that the respective battery has an SOC not greater than the threshold SOC; and

,

in response to the detecting that the respective battery has the SOC not greater than the threshold SOC, place the respective SOC indicator in a state indicative of the battery having the SOC not greater than the threshold SOC.

2. The shipping container of claim 1, wherein the threshold SOC corresponds to a maximum SOC of the respective battery to safely transport the respective battery.

3. The shipping container of claim 1, wherein an SOC circuit, among the plurality of SOC circuits, is further communicatively coupled to a reverse polarity indicator;

and,

wherein the SOC circuit is further configured to;

detect that the continuous electrical contact between the SOC circuit and the respective battery is a reverse polarity contact; and

,

in response to the detecting that the respective battery makes the reverse polarity contact, place the reverse polarity indicator in a state to indicate the reverse polarity contact.

4. The shipping container of claim 1, wherein each of the SOC circuits, among the plurality of SOC circuits, further comprises a switch;

and,

wherein each of the SOC circuits, among the plurality of SOC circuits, is configured to make the continuous electrical contact with the respective battery using the switch.

5. The shipping container of claim 1, wherein an SOC circuit, among the plurality of SOC circuits, is further configured to use an auxiliary power source to provide power to the SOC circuit.

6. The shipping container of claim 1, wherein an SOC circuit, among the plurality of SOC circuits, is further configured to use the continuous electrical contact with the respective battery, in response to the detecting that the respective battery has the SOC greater than the threshold SOC, to discharge the respective battery to the SOC not greater than the threshold SOC.

7. The shipping container of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of retainers comprises one of a slot to hold the respective battery and a mount to hold the respective battery.

8. The shipping container of claim 1, wherein the shipping container is reusable to transport a second plurality of batteries.

9. The shipping container of claim 1, wherein a first retainer, among the plurality of retainers, is further configured to hold an electronic device;

wherein the respective battery held by the first retainer is installed in the electronic device; and

,

wherein the SOC circuit integrated into the first retainer is further configured to make the continuous electrical contact with the respective battery, held by the first retainer, with the respective battery installed in the electronic device.

10. The shipping container of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of SOC indicators is selected from a group consisting of:

a visual indicator observable external to the shipping container, an auditory indicator observable external to the shipping container, and a device configured to wirelessly communicate that the respective battery has the SOC greater than the threshold SOC and to wirelessly communicate that the respective battery has the SOC not greater than the threshold SOC.

11. The shipping container of claim 1, wherein an SOC circuit, among the plurality of SOC circuits, is further configured to detect the SOC greater than the threshold SOC, and to detect the SOC not greater than the threshold SOC, with the continuous electrical contact in either normal polarity, or in reverse polarity, contact with the respective battery held in the retainer that integrates the SOC circuit.

12. A method of transporting batteries within a shipping container, the shipping container comprising a plurality of retainers, each of the plurality of retainers configured to hold a respective battery, among a first plurality of batteries, for transport in the shipping container, the shipping container further comprising a plurality of state-of-charge (SOC) indicators and a plurality of SOC circuits, wherein each of the plurality of SOC circuits is integrated into a respective retainer among the plurality of retainers, wherein each of the plurality of SOC indicators is located on an external surface of the shipping container, wherein each of the plurality of SOC circuits is communicatively coupled to a respective SOC indicator among the plurality of SOC indicators, and

wherein the method comprises each of the plurality of SOC circuits:

making electrical contact with the respective battery, held by the respective retainer, the electrical contact established by insertion of the respective battery into the respective retainer and continuous while the respective battery is held by the respective retainer;

detecting, based on the continuous electrical contact, that the respective battery has an SOC greater than a safe SOC, the safe SOC corresponding to a maximum SOC to safely transport the respective battery; and

,

in response to detecting that the respective battery has the SOC greater than the safe SOC, placing the respective SOC indicator in a state indicative of the respective battery having the SOC greater than the safe SOC.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises each of the plurality of SOC circuits:

detecting, based on the continuous electrical contact, that the respective battery has an SOC not greater than the safe SOC; and

,

in response to detecting that the respective battery has the SOC not greater than the safe SOC, placing the SOC indicator associated with the respective retainer in a state indicative of the respective battery having the SOC not greater than the safe SOC.

14. The method of claim 12, the method further comprising an SOC circuit, among the plurality of SOC circuits, in response to the detecting that the respective battery has the SOC greater than the safe SOC, discharging the respective battery to an SOC not greater than the safe SOC.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein a first retainer, among the plurality of retainers, is further configured to hold an electronic device;

wherein the respective battery, held by the first retainer, is installed in the electronic device; and

,

wherein the method further comprises the SOC circuit integrated into the first retainer making the continuous electrical contact with the respective battery installed in the electronic device.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the shipping container is reusable for transporting a second plurality of batteries.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of SOC indicators is selected from a group consisting of a visual indicator observable external to the shipping container, an auditory indicator observable external to the shipping container, and a device configured to wirelessly communicate that the respective battery has the SOC greater than the safe SOC.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the continuous electrical contact comprises an SOC circuit, among the plurality of SOC circuits, making the continuous electrical contact in either normal polarity or reverse polarity;

and,

wherein in the method the SOC circuit detecting the SOC greater than the safe SOC comprises the SOC circuit detecting the SOC greater than the safe SOC with the continuous electrical contact in either the normal polarity or the reverse polarity.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein an SOC circuit, among the plurality of SOC circuits, is further communicatively coupled to a reverse polarity indicator;

and,

wherein the method further comprises the SOC circuit;

detecting that the continuous electrical contact with the respective battery, held by the respective retainer, comprises a reverse polarity contact; and

,

in response to the detecting that the respective battery makes the reverse polarity contact, placing the reverse polarity indicator in a state to indicate the reverse polarity contact.