Electrical device power management

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9316698-B2
Application number	US-201514721123-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 26, 2015
Priority date	May 13, 2010
Publication date	Apr 19, 2016
Grant date	Apr 19, 2016

Abstract

An electrical device includes a memory storing a value indicative the remaining available rated capacity of one or more batteries. The stored value is changed in use to reflect reducing capacity. The initial stored value is chosen so that there is a very high (e.g. >99.9%) confidence that the one or more batteries will provide at least the capacity indicated by the initial stored value. This reduces the chance of failure during emergency procedures. The one or more batteries may be integral to the electrical device. An override facility is provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A video laryngoscope comprising a body, one or more batteries which are integral to the body, and a memory storing a value indicative of the remaining available rated capacity of the one or more batteries, the video laryngoscope further comprising a usage recording device operable to determine when the video laryngoscope is operated and to update the value stored in the memory responsive to such usage to reflect the consumption of power from the one or more batteries resulting from the operated video laryngoscope.

2. A video laryngoscope according to claim 1 , wherein the value of remaining available rated capacity initially stored in the memory is selected so that in at least 99% of cases the one or more batteries will have remaining stored power which could be used to power normal operating of the video laryngoscope when the stored value reaches a value indicative that the rated capacity has been exhausted.

3. A video laryngoscope according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more batteries cannot be accessed by the user and there is no recharging interface.

4. A video laryngoscope according to claim 1 , wherein the stored value is a numerical value representative of remaining available rated capacity.

5. A video laryngoscope according to claim 4 , wherein the stored value is indicative of a number of units of time of operating of the video laryngoscope, or operating of the video laryngoscope in one or more modes, for which the one or more batteries have remaining available rated capacity for a given power consumption.

6. A video laryngoscope according to claim 4 , wherein the stored value is indicative of the number of intubation procedures which the device can carry out using the remaining available capacity of the one or more batteries.

7. A video laryngoscope according to claim 1 , wherein the video laryngoscope will stop, or not start, carrying out one or more operating functions once the remaining available rated capacity indicated by the stored value is below a threshold.

8. A video laryngoscope according to claim 1 , wherein the video laryngoscope comprises an override to enable a user to continue to carry out, or to start, some or all of the operating functions even though this has occurred.

9. A video laryngoscope according to claim 8 , wherein the override comprises a microphone and the video laryngoscope allows a user to continue to carry out, or to start, some or all of the operating functions responsive to a sufficiently loud sound detected by the microphone.

10. A video laryngoscope according to claim 1 , wherein the video laryngoscope comprises an arm, a body and a printed circuit board; wherein the printed circuit board functions as a strengthening element to strengthen the arm.

11. A video laryngoscope according to claim 1 , wherein the step of updating the stored value takes into account variations in power consumption by the video laryngoscope.

12. A video laryngoscope according to claim 11 , wherein the step of updating the stored value takes into account environmental factors measured by one or more sensors.

13. A video laryngoscope according to claim 12 , wherein the video laryngoscope comprises a temperature sensor and the step of updating the stored value takes into account the temperature measured by the temperature sensor.

Assignees

• Aircraft Medical Ltd

Inventors

• Mcgrath Matthew John Ross
• Inglis Peter Douglas Colin
• Laffoley Brian Alan

Classifications

• H02J7/82

  Control of state of charge [SOC] · CPC title

• A61B1/00029

  externally powered, e.g. wireless · CPC title

• G01R31/382

  Arrangements for monitoring battery or accumulator variables, e.g. SoC · CPC title

• A61B1/00025

  characterised by power management · CPC title

• A61B1/267

  for the respiratory tract, e.g. laryngoscopes, bronchoscopes · CPC title