Method and system for monitoring the condition of a battery pack in a defibrillator
First Claim
1. A method for monitoring an energy level of a battery pack capable of delivering current to a load, comprising:
- providing a battery pack having a monitor cell and at least one other cell, the monitor cell having an initial energy level lower than an initial energy level of the at least one other cell in the battery pack such that through normal use the monitor cell will be depleted before the at least one other cell and thereby provide a measurable indication that the battery pack is nearing depletion while the at least one other cell still has energy remaining;
electrically connecting the monitor cell and the other cells in the battery pack together;
delivering current from the battery pack to the load;
providing a monitoring system for monitoring the voltage on the battery pack for a voltage change that is greater than a predetermined threshold value that is indicative of when the monitor cell is depleted;
detecting a voltage change across the battery pack that is greater than the predetermined threshold value; and
providing an indication that the battery pack is nearing depletion upon detection of the voltage change that is greater than the threshold value.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and system for monitoring the capacity of a battery pack (6) is provided. The battery pack (6) is capable of delivering current to a load (RL). The battery pack (6) includes a monitor cell (C4) and battery cells (C1, C2, and C3). The monitor cell (C4) has a predetermined initial energy level that is lower than the predetermined initial energy level of the battery cells. A monitoring system (22) including an analog-to-digital converter (10) and a microprocessor (12) is connected to the battery pack and monitors the voltage of the battery pack. When the monitoring system detects a voltage change indicating depletion of the monitor cell (C4), the monitoring system provides a signal indicative that the battery pack is nearing depletion.
57 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A method for monitoring an energy level of a battery pack capable of delivering current to a load, comprising:
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providing a battery pack having a monitor cell and at least one other cell, the monitor cell having an initial energy level lower than an initial energy level of the at least one other cell in the battery pack such that through normal use the monitor cell will be depleted before the at least one other cell and thereby provide a measurable indication that the battery pack is nearing depletion while the at least one other cell still has energy remaining; electrically connecting the monitor cell and the other cells in the battery pack together; delivering current from the battery pack to the load; providing a monitoring system for monitoring the voltage on the battery pack for a voltage change that is greater than a predetermined threshold value that is indicative of when the monitor cell is depleted; detecting a voltage change across the battery pack that is greater than the predetermined threshold value; and providing an indication that the battery pack is nearing depletion upon detection of the voltage change that is greater than the threshold value. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A system for monitoring an energy level of a battery pack capable of delivering current to a load, the system comprising:
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a battery pack having a monitor cell and at least one other cell, the monitor cell having an initial energy level lower than an initial energy level of the at least one other cell in the battery pack such that through normal use the monitor cell will be depleted before the at least one other cell and thereby provide a measurable indication that the battery pack is nearing depletion while the at least one other cell still has energy remaining; a monitoring system connected to the battery pack to monitor the energy level of the battery pack during discharge of the battery pack, wherein the monitoring system detects a voltage change across the battery pack of at least a predetermined magnitude indicative of when the monitor cell is depleted and provides an indication of an approximate energy level remaining in the battery pack upon depletion of the monitor cell. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A defibrillator including:
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a battery pack having a monitor cell and at least one other cell, the monitor cell having an initial energy level lower than an initial energy level of the at least one other cell; and a monitoring system for monitoring a voltage across the battery pack, the monitoring system detecting a voltage change across the battery pack that is greater than a predetermined threshold value that is indicative of when the monitor cell is depleted, the monitoring system providing an indication that the battery pack is nearing depletion upon detection of the voltage change that is greater than the threshold value. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification