Systems and methods for calibrating a conducted electrical weapon

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9903690-B1
Application number	US-201615299319-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Oct 20, 2016
Priority date	Aug 24, 2016
Publication date	Feb 27, 2018
Grant date	Feb 27, 2018

Abstract

Systems and methods for calibrating a conducted electrical weapon (“CEW”) to provide a predetermined amount of current for each pulse of the stimulus signal. Providing the predetermined amount of current, close thereto, increases the effectiveness of the stimulus signal in impeding locomotion of a human or animal target. The calibration process enables a CEW to calibrate the amount of charge in a pulse of the stimulus signal in the environmental conditions where the tester operates and also in the field where the environmental conditions may be different from the environmental conditions during calibration.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method performed by a processing circuit of a handle of a conducted electrical weapon (“CEW”) for calibrating a stimulus signal of the handle, the handle further includes the processing circuit, a current source, a capacitance, and a signal generator, the stimulus signal for impeding locomotion of a human or animal target, the method comprising:
providing a pulse of the stimulus signal from the signal generator to a tester;
receiving a message from the tester regarding an amount of charge provided by the pulse, the amount of charge measured by the tester;
comparing the amount of charge measured by the tester to a predetermined amount of charge;
responsive to comparing, adjusting the amount of charge provided by a next pulse of the stimulus signal from the signal generator;
repeating the steps of providing, receiving, comparing, and adjusting until the amount of charge measured by the tester is about the same as the predetermined amount of charge;
measuring a voltage across the capacitance, the voltage related to the amount of charge measured by the tester;
discharging the capacitance;
while measuring an elapse of time, providing a current from the current source to charge the capacitance to the voltage;
recording a duration of the elapse of time, the duration of the elapse of time for calibrating the handle to provide about the amount of charge by one or more pulses of the stimulus signal.

2. The handle of claim 1 wherein the amount of charge is about the same as the predetermined amount of charge when the amount of charge is the predetermined amount of charge plus or minus three microcoulombs.

3. The handle of claim 1 wherein the amount of charge is about the same as the predetermined amount of charge when the amount of charge is the predetermined amount of charge plus or minus five percent of the predetermined amount of charge.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein discharging the capacitance comprises discharging the capacitance so that a magnitude of the voltage across the capacitance is about zero.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising discharging the capacitance prior to providing.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein:
providing the pulse charges the capacitance; and
measuring comprises measuring the voltage across the capacitance that results from providing the pulse whereby the voltage is related to the amount of charge measured by the tester.

7. A method performed by a processing circuit of a handle of a conducted electrical weapon (“CEW”) for calibrating a stimulus signal of the handle, the handle includes the processing circuit, a current source, a capacitance, and a signal generator, the stimulus signal for impeding locomotion of a human or animal target, the method comprising:
providing a pulse of the stimulus signal from the signal generator to a tester;
receiving a message from the tester regarding an amount of charge provided by the pulse, the amount of charge measured by the tester;
measuring a voltage across the capacitance, the voltage related to the amount of charge measured by the tester;
discharging the capacitance;
while measuring an elapse of time, providing a current from the current source to charge the capacitance to the voltage;
recording a duration of the elapse of time, the duration of the elapse of time for calibrating the handle to provide the amount of charge by each of one or more pulses of the stimulus signal.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising discharging the capacitance prior to providing.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein:
providing the pulse charges the capacitance; and
measuring comprises measuring the voltage across the capacitance that results from providing the pulse whereby the voltage is related to the amount of charge measured by the tester.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein discharging the capacitance comprises discharging the capacitance so that a magnitude of the voltage across the capacitance is about zero.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein providing the current comprises providing the current from a circuit that provides a constant current.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the constant current is substantially constant over a range of temperature.

13. The method of claim 7 wherein discharging the capacitance comprises discharging the capacitance so that a magnitude of the voltage across the capacitance is about zero.

14. The method of claim 7 wherein the amount of charge is about the same as a predetermined amount of charge.

15. A handle of a conducted electrical weapon (“CEW”) that cooperates with a provided tester for calibrating a stimulus signal of the handle, the stimulus signal for impeding locomotion of a human or animal target, the handle comprising:
a processing circuit;
a capacitance;
a current source that provides a current;
a timer;
a signal generator; wherein the processing circuit:
performs an operation to provide a pulse of the stimulus signal from the signal generator to the tester, provision of the pulse charges the capacitance to a first voltage;
receives a message regarding an amount of charge provided by the pulse of stimulus signal, the amount of charge measured by the tester;
records a magnitude of the first voltage, the first voltage related to the amount of charge measured by the tester;
discharges the capacitance;
measures an elapse of time while the current source charges the capacitance to the first voltage; and
record a duration of the elapse of time, the duration of the elapse of time for calibrating the handle to provide the amount of charge by one or more subsequent pulses of the stimulus signal.

16. The handle of claim 15 wherein the processing circuit further discharges the capacitance prior to performing the operation to provide the pulse.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein:
the first voltage is related to the amount of charge measured by the tester; and
the current source charges the capacitance to the first voltage whereby the duration of the elapse of time is related to the amount of charge.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the processing circuit discharges the capacitance until a magnitude of the voltage across the capacitance is about zero.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the amount of charge is about the same as a predetermined amount of charge.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein the current is substantially constant over a range of temperature.

Assignees

• Taser Int Inc

Inventors

• Nerheim Magne H
• Barber Axthelm Valerie Renee Barry
• Goodchild Eric Heindel
• Heroor Siddharth

Classifications

• F41H13/0012 Primary

  Electrical discharge weapons, e.g. for stunning · CPC title

• G01R35/005

  Calibrating; Standards or reference devices, e.g. voltage or resistance standards, "golden" references (G01R33/0035, G01R35/002 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01R15/16

  using capacitive devices · CPC title

• G01R17/02

  Arrangements in which the value to be measured is automatically compared with a reference value · CPC title

• G01R15/165

  measuring electrostatic potential, e.g. with electrostatic voltmeters or electrometers, when the design of the sensor is essential (electrometers with passively moving electrodes G01R5/28; measuring electrostatic fields G01R29/12; measuring charge G01R29/24; measuring in circuits with high internal resistance G01R19/0023) · CPC title