Automatically discharging a rechargeable battery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10044202-B2
Application number	US-201715858257-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 29, 2017
Priority date	Nov 4, 2016
Publication date	Aug 7, 2018
Grant date	Aug 7, 2018

Abstract

An apparatus is provided for an electrical component to automatically provide a discharge of a rechargeable battery to a predetermined state of charge. The apparatus includes the electrical component determining a rechargeable battery is not connected to a device and discharging the rechargeable battery. The apparatus includes the electronic component determining whether a state of charge exceeds the predetermined state of charge in the rechargeable battery and responsive to determining that the state of charge exceeds the predetermined state of charge, continuing discharging the rechargeable battery.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for an electrical component executing control logic to provide a discharge of a rechargeable battery to a predetermined state of charge, the method comprising:
determining, by an electrical component, a rechargeable battery is not connected to a device using a sensor wherein the sensor determines a status of at least one of a physical function or an electrical connection;
determining, by the electrical component, whether an indication to override discharging of the rechargeable battery is received;
responsive to receiving the indication to override discharging of the rechargeable battery, halting, by the electrical component, discharge of the rechargeable battery;
responsive to not receiving the indication to override discharging of the rechargeable battery, discharging, by the electrical component, the rechargeable battery using a passive discharge component in a portion of the rechargeable battery;
determining, by the electrical component, a state of charge by retrieving the state of charge from one of an internal battery management system or an external tester connected to the rechargeable battery;
determining, by the electrical component, whether the state of charge is below a minimum threshold state of charge, wherein the minimum threshold state of charge is determined based on one of a predetermined minimum threshold state of charge or a user-selected minimum threshold state of charge input by user on a dial, a button, a switch, a toggle, or a touch screen provided by a charge indicator in the rechargeable battery;
communicating, by the electrical component, whether a state of charge is below the minimum threshold state of charge to a charge indicator, wherein the charge indicator indicates that the recharge battery is below the predetermined minimum threshold by a first color;
determining, by the electrical component, whether a state of charge exceeds the predetermined state of charge in the rechargeable battery wherein the predetermined state of charge is one of a configured predetermined maximum threshold state of charge or a user-selected maximum threshold state of charge input by user on a dial, a button, a switch, a toggle, or a touch screen provided by a charge indicator in the rechargeable battery;
responsive to determining that the state of charge exceeds the predetermined state of charge, continuing, by the electrical component, discharging the rechargeable battery;
communicating, by the electrical component, that the state of charge exceeds the predetermined state of charge to the charge indicator wherein the charge indicator indicates that the rechargeable battery is above the predetermined maximum threshold state of charge by a second color;
determining, by the electrical component, whether the state of charge for the rechargeable battery that exceeded the predetermined state of charge does not exceed the predetermined state of charge;
responsive to determining that the state of charge for the rechargeable battery that exceeded the predetermined state of charge does not exceed the predetermined state of charge, halting, by the electrical component, discharge the rechargeable battery; and
communicating, by the electrical component, that the state of charge does not exceed the predetermined state of charge and is not below the minimum threshold state of charge to the charge indicator wherein the charge indicator indicates by a third color that the rechargeable battery does not exceed the predetermined state of charge and is not below the minimum threshold state of charge.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Coq Marc H
• Fishbune Richard J
• Maresh Mark E
• Swenson Eric B

Classifications

• H02J7/585

  Sequential battery discharge in systems with a plurality of batteries · CPC title

• H02J7/84

  Control of state of health [SOH] · CPC title

• H02J7/63

  against overdischarge · CPC title

• H02J7/96

  in response to battery voltage · CPC title

• H02J7/82

  Control of state of charge [SOC] · CPC title