Battery Type Determination via Voltage Curve Comparison
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for determining battery type in electronic devices require accurate calibration, which increases complexity and cost, and fail to reliably identify battery types without precise voltage measurements.
Innovation Solution
A method that measures and stores voltage measurements from a battery set, calculates the rate of change, and compares these measurements to voltage curves to determine the battery type, eliminating the need for calibration and enabling accurate identification of alkaline, lithium, and mixed battery types.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If accurate calibration is performed to determine battery type, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The battery type determiner automatically performs voltage measurements and comparisons without requiring external calibration equipment or manual calibration procedures. The system self-calibrates by using reference voltage curves that are pre-stored and comparing measured voltages against these curves to identify battery type, eliminating the need for complex calibration infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring physical calibration equipment, the system uses stored reference voltage curves (copies of expected voltage behavior patterns for different battery types) to compare against actual measurements. This allows accurate battery type identification through data comparison rather than physical calibration.
2Measurement precision
If accurate calibration is performed to determine battery type, then measurement precision is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system eliminates the need for expensive calibration equipment and procedures by implementing automatic voltage measurement and comparison functionality within the battery type determiner, reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining identification accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses simple voltage measurements and pre-stored reference curves instead of expensive calibration equipment. The approach replaces costly hardware calibration systems with inexpensive software-based comparison methods that achieve the same identification accuracy.
3Measurement precision
If voltage measurements are taken over extended periods to improve accuracy, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system takes a sufficient number of voltage measurements to achieve accurate battery type identification without unnecessarily extending the measurement period. By comparing voltage readings against reference curves, the system determines battery type efficiently without requiring exhaustive long-term monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors voltage and compares it against reference curves, using feedback from each measurement to refine the battery type determination. This allows accurate identification to be achieved progressively rather than requiring all measurements to be taken before making a determination.
Data Source
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AI summary
It is presented a method for determining a battery type of a battery set powering a host device, the battery set comprising at least one exchangeable battery. The method is performed in a battery type determiner and comprises the steps of: measuring a voltage of the battery set, yielding a voltage measurement; storing the voltage measurement; repeating the steps of measuring and storing until an exit condition is true; and determining the battery type based on the stored voltage measurements. A corresponding battery type determiner, host device, computer program and computer program product are also presented.