SINGLE SIDED REUSABLE BATTERY INDICATOR

• US 20180123174A1
• Filed: 11/01/2016
• Published: 05/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Duracell U.S. Operations, Inc. (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Duracell U.S. Operations, Inc. (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Inventors: Riemer, Joern, Pavlinsky, Robert, Bourilkov, Jordan, Specht, Steven J., Turco, George, Coronado, Sergio
• Granted Patent: US 10,818,979 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/364 Battery terminal connectors with integrated measuring arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/371 with remote indication, e.g. on external chargers
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3835 involving only voltage measurements
• 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 10/4285 Testing apparatus
• 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 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 50/119 Metals
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/124 having a layered structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/569 Constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals battery terminal connectors with integrated measuring arrangements G01R31/364
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A reusable battery indicator includes a voltage sensor, a communication circuit communicatively connected to the voltage sensor, an antenna operatively coupled to the communication circuit, and a connection mechanism having a first connector and a retainer. The first connector and the retainer are electrically connected to the voltage sensor, and the first connector is adapted to be removably connected to a first battery terminal, thereby providing an electrical connection between the voltage sensor and the first battery terminal. The retainer is adapted to removably secure the voltage sensor to a can of a battery, thereby providing an electrical connection between the voltage sensor and the can of the battery. An electrical circuit is completed between the voltage sensor and the first battery terminal and between the voltage sensor and the can.

Claims

1. A reusable battery indicator comprising:

a voltage sensor configured to convert sensed analog characteristics of a battery to digital information;

a communication circuit communicatively connected to the voltage sensor;

an antenna operatively coupled to the communication circuit; and

a connection mechanism having a first connector and a retainer, the first connector and the retainer being electrically connected to the voltage sensor, the first connector being adapted to be removably connected to a first battery terminal, thereby providing an electrical connection between the voltage sensor and the first battery terminal when the first connector is connected to the first battery terminal, and the retainer being adapted to removably secure the voltage sensor to a can of a battery, thereby providing an electrical connection between the voltage sensor and the can of the battery,

wherein an electrical circuit is completed between the voltage sensor and the first battery terminal and between the voltage sensor and the can when the connection mechanism is coupled to the first battery terminal and to the can.

2. The reusable battery indicator of claim 1, wherein the first connector is connected to a negative electrode of a battery and the retainer is connected to a positive electrode of the battery.

3. The reusable battery indicator of claim 1, wherein the first connector is one of a formed spring, a Kelvin connection, a split wire, a leaf spring, and combinations thereof.

4. The reusable battery indicator of claim 1, further comprising a voltage booster electrically connected to or incorporated in the voltage sensor.

5. The reusable battery indicator of claim 1, wherein the first connector comprises at least one metal and at least one insulator.

6. The reusable battery indicator of claim 1, wherein the communication circuit comprises at least one of radio-frequency identification circuitry, Bluetooth circuitry, Bluetooth low energy circuitry, Wi-Fi circuitry, Zigbee circuitry, LORA circuitry, and Z-wave circuitry.

7. The reusable battery indicator of claim 1, wherein the voltage sensor is capable of reading an open circuit voltage of less than 1.8 Volts.

8. The reusable battery indicator of claim 1, wherein the voltage sensor and the communication circuit are formed on a printed circuit board that is adapted to be inserted between a the first connector and the first retainer.

9. The reusable battery indicator of claim 1, further comprising a housing, the voltage sensor and the communication circuit being mounted within the housing, the housing being sized and shaped to fit between two cylindrical batteries that are arranged side-by-side.

10. The reusable battery indicator of claim 9, wherein the housing has a cross-section that is in the shape of a triangular prism.

11. The reusable battery indicator of claim 10, wherein the housing has one side that is concave.

12. The reusable battery indicator of claim 10, wherein the housing has two sides that are concave.

13. The reusable battery indicator of claim 10, wherein the housing has an available void volume of between about 102 mm³ and about 165 mm³.

14. The reusable battery indicator of claim 1, wherein the voltage sensor is disc-shaped to and arranged to fit one end of a cylindrical battery cell.

15. The reusable battery indicator of claim 14, wherein the voltage sensor is a thin disc BLE, UHF, or RF module.

16. A remote battery indication system, the system comprising:

a battery; and

a reusable battery indicator, the reusable battery indicator including a voltage sensor configured to convert sensed analog characteristics of a battery to digital information;

a communication circuit communicatively connected to the voltage sensor;

an antenna operatively coupled to the communication circuit; and

a connection mechanism having a first connector and a retainer, the first connector and the retainer being electrically connected to the voltage sensor, the first connector being adapted to be removably connected to a first battery terminal, thereby providing an electrical connection between the voltage sensor and the first battery terminal when the first connector is connected to the first battery terminal, and the retainer being adapted to removably secure the voltage sensor to a can of a battery, thereby providing an electrical connection between the voltage sensor and the can of the battery,

wherein the first connector is electrically attached to a first battery terminal, so that the voltage sensor senses a characteristic of the battery.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a computing device that is communicatively connected to the communication circuit, the computing device receiving information from the communication circuit through the antenna.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the computing device includes a processor and a memory, the memory storing a software routine that causes the processor to detect a wireless communication signal from the reusable battery indicator, to remotely control battery circuitry through the reusable battery indicator to determine battery characteristic data;

and to send the battery characteristic data to a user interface.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the battery characteristic data comprises at least one of an electrical capacity;

a voltage;

an impedance, a temperature, a current;

an age, a charge/discharge cycle count, and a coulomb count.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the software routine, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to determine at least one of a battery type, a physical location of the battery, and an electrical device that the battery is powering.