Battery Pack Wireless Charge Time Estimation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Power tool battery packs and chargers have varying characteristics, making it difficult to provide accurate estimates for charging time, and existing technologies lack real-time adjustments and monitoring capabilities for battery health and tool performance.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack system with integrated sensors and processors that detect voltage and current output to determine state of charge, charge rate, and conversion factors, generating accurate charge time estimates and monitoring battery health by comparing current traces against expected data sets, and alerting for deviations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If battery packs and chargers have varying characteristics (chemistry, capacity, charging techniques, current levels, voltage levels), then the system becomes more versatile and adaptable to different requirements, but it becomes difficult to provide accurate estimates for charging time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the battery pack communicates with the charger to exchange information about battery characteristics, charging status, and performance metrics. This feedback loop enables the system to adapt to varying battery and charger characteristics while maintaining accurate charge time estimation through continuous monitoring and adjustment based on actual charging data.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal communication protocol and data structure that works across different battery chemistries (nickel-cadmium, lithium-ion, etc.) and charger types. By defining standardized parameters and measurement methods that can be applied universally, the system achieves both versatility in supporting multiple configurations and consistency in charge time estimation accuracy.
2Reliability
If the system collects and analyzes detailed current output data and current traces during power tool operation, then it can detect potential issues and identify battery packs and tools, but it increases device complexity and data processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and isolates specific diagnostic parameters from the overall current data stream, such as peak current values, current decay rates, and characteristic current trace patterns. By focusing on these extracted key parameters rather than analyzing the entire continuous current signal, the system achieves reliable detection of battery and tool issues while keeping the processing complexity manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes baseline current trace profiles and expected performance characteristics during the manufacturing or initial setup phase. These pre-defined reference data sets are stored and used for comparison during operation, allowing the system to detect deviations and potential issues without requiring complex real-time analysis algorithms, thus reducing operational complexity while maintaining high reliability.
3Measurement precision
If the system provides real-time updates of charge time estimates based on changing conditions, then the accuracy and usefulness of the information improves, but it requires continuous monitoring and processing which increases energy consumption and system activity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic sampling of battery parameters (voltage, current, temperature) at predetermined time intervals during charging, rather than continuous monitoring. This periodic measurement approach allows the system to provide updated charge time estimates that reflect changing conditions while significantly reducing the energy consumption and processing load compared to continuous monitoring, by only measuring and calculating at necessary intervals.
Data Source
AI summary
Trigger pull tracking, charge time estimation, and other features for a power tool battery pack with wireless communication. A battery pack system includes a power tool battery pack and a processor. The battery pack includes a plurality of cells and a voltage sensor connected to the plurality of cells. The processor is in communication with the voltage sensor that detects a voltage across the plurality of cells using the voltage sensor. The processor further converts the voltage across the plurality of cells to a state of charge; determines a charge rate of a charger charging the battery pack; and determines a conversion factor based on the charge rate. The processor then generates a time to full charge of the battery pack based on the state of charge and the scalar conversion factor. The processor may further generate current traces for the battery pack.