Dual sided reusable battery indicator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11024892-B2
Application number	US-202016834827-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 30, 2020
Priority date	Nov 1, 2016
Publication date	Jun 1, 2021
Grant date	Jun 1, 2021

Abstract

A reusable battery indicator comprises 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 at least a first connector and a second connector that are electrically connected to the voltage sensor, the first connector and the second connector being adapted to be removably connected to a first battery terminal and to a second battery terminal, respectively, thereby completing an electrical circuit between the voltage sensor and the first and second battery terminals when the connection mechanism is coupled to the first battery terminal and to the second battery terminal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

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 at least a first connector and a second connector that are electrically connected to the voltage sensor, the first connector and the second connector being adapted to be removably connected to a first battery terminal and to a second battery terminal, respectively, thereby completing an electrical circuit between the voltage sensor and the first and second battery terminals when the connection mechanism is coupled to the first battery terminal and to the second battery terminal,
wherein the first connector comprises a first planar leg with a concavely shaped terminal end and the second connector comprises a second planar leg with a concavely shaped terminal end.

2. The reusable battery indicator of claim 1 , wherein the first connector is configured to produce a spring force that biases the first connector into an attached position, while allowing the first connector to be deformed by a user to remove the reusable battery indicator from a battery cell.

3. The reusable battery indicator of claim 1 , wherein the second connector is configured to produce a spring force that biases the second connector into an attached position, while allowing the second connector to be deformed by a user to remove the reusable battery indicator from a battery cell.

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

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

6. 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 longitudinally side-by-side.

7. The reusable battery indicator of claim 1 , wherein the first connector includes a first end clip that is oriented approximately 90 degrees relative to the first planar leg and the second connector includes a second end clip that is oriented approximately 90 degrees relative to the second planar leg.

8. The reusable battery indicator of claim 7 , wherein the first end clip comprises the first terminal end.

9. The reusable battery indicator of claim 7 , wherein the second end clip comprises the second terminal end.

10. A remote battery indication system, the system comprising:
a battery having a first battery terminal and a second battery terminal; and
a reusable battery indicator, the 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 at least a first connector and a second connector that are electrically connected to the voltage sensor, the first connector and the second connector being removably connected to the first battery terminal and to the second battery terminal, respectively, thereby completing an electrical circuit between the voltage sensor and the first and second battery terminals when the connection mechanism is coupled to the first battery terminal and to the second battery terminal,
wherein the first connector comprises a first planar leg with a concavely shaped terminal end that mirrors an outer cylindrical surface of the first battery terminal and the second connector comprises a second planar leg with a concavely shaped terminal end that mirrors an outer cylindrical surface of the second battery terminal.

11. The remote battery indication system of claim 10 , wherein the first connector is configured to produce a spring force that biases the first connector into an attached position, while allowing the first connector to be deformed by a user to remove the reusable battery indicator from the battery.

12. The remote battery indication system of claim 10 , wherein the second connector is configured to produce a spring force that biases the second connector into an attached position, while allowing the second connector to be deformed by a user to remove the reusable battery indicator from the battery.

13. The reusable battery indicator of claim 10 , further comprising a voltage booster electrically connected to the voltage sensor.

14. The reusable battery indicator of claim 10 , wherein at least one of the first connector and the second connector comprises at least one metal and at least one insulator.

15. The reusable battery indicator of claim 10 , 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 longitudinally side-by-side.

16. The remote battery indication system of claim 6 , wherein the spring connector includes a first end clip that is oriented approximately 90 degrees relative to the first planar leg and the second connector includes a second end clip that is oriented approximately 90 degrees relative to the second planar leg.

17. The remote battery indication system of claim 16 , wherein the first end clip comprises the first terminal end.

18. The remote battery indication system of claim 16 , wherein the second end clip comprises the second terminal end.

Assignees

• Duracell Us Operations Inc

Inventors

• Riemer Joern
• Pavlinsky Robert
• Bourilkov Jordan
• Specht Steven J
• Turco George
• Coronado Sergio

Classifications

• H01M10/48

  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 title

• H01M10/486

  for measuring temperature · CPC title

• H04W4/70

  Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] · CPC title

• H04L67/125

  involving control of end-device applications over a network · CPC title

• G01R31/3835

  involving only voltage measurements · CPC title