Automatically discharging a rechargeable battery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10587130-B2
Application number	US-201615343504-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 4, 2016
Priority date	Nov 4, 2016
Publication date	Mar 10, 2020
Grant date	Mar 10, 2020

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 discharging a rechargeable battery not connected to an electrical device, the method comprising:
determining, by an electrical component, the rechargeable battery is not connected to the electrical device external to the rechargeable battery based on a determination by a sensor in the rechargeable battery that the rechargeable battery is not connected to the electrical device, wherein the electrical component resides in the rechargeable battery;
discharging, by the electrical component, the rechargeable battery;
determining, by the electrical component, whether a state of charge of the rechargeable battery exceeds a predetermined state of charge;
responsive to determining that the state of charge for the rechargeable battery exceeds the predetermined state of charge, continuing, by the electrical component, discharge of the rechargeable battery; and
determining, by the electrical component, whether an indication to override discharge of the rechargeable battery is received, wherein an override button is integrated in the rechargeable battery.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein discharging the rechargeable battery further comprises:
determining, by the electrical component, whether an indication to override discharging of the rechargeable battery is received; and
responsive to receiving the indication to override discharging of the rechargeable battery, halting, by the electrical component, discharging the rechargeable battery.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein continuing discharging the rechargeable battery further comprises:
determining, by the electrical component, the state of charge for the rechargeable battery does not exceed the predetermined state of charge; and
halting, by the electrical component, discharging the rechargeable battery.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether the state of charge exceeds the predetermined state of charge further comprises:
communicating, by the electrical component, whether the state of charge exceeds the predetermined state of charge, to a charge indicator.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined state of charge is one of a predetermined maximum threshold state of charge or a user-selected maximum threshold state of charge.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether a state of charge exceeds the predetermined state of charge further comprises:
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.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein determining whether a state of charge is below the minimum threshold state of charge further comprises:
communicating, by the electrical component, whether a state of charge is below the minimum threshold state of charge, to a charge indicator.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether a state of charge for the rechargeable battery exceeds the predetermined state of charge in the rechargeable battery further comprises:
determining, by the electrical component, the state of charge for the rechargeable battery by retrieving a state of charge from an internal battery management system in the rechargeable battery.

9. The method of claim 5 , wherein the user-selected maximum threshold state of charge is 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.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the rechargeable battery is not connected to a device occurs using the sensor, and wherein the sensor determines a status of at least one of a physical function or a blockage of light to the sensor.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein discharging the rechargeable battery further comprises:
discharging, by the electrical component, using one of a passive discharge component or an active discharge component within the rechargeable battery.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein discharging using the one or more of the passive discharge component or the active discharge component occurs in one of a portion of the rechargeable battery or within the electronic component.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

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

Classifications

• G01R31/371

  with remote indication, e.g. on external chargers · CPC title

• H02J2007/005

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H02J2007/0067

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H02J7/0029 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G01R31/44 Primary

  Testing lamps · CPC title