Texas Instruments Corporation

O2 Micro, Incorporated

Falong Li

Sihua Wen

Guoxing Li

Xiaojun Zeng

A method for dynamically monitoring a capacity of a battery includes estimating a first voltage threshold of the battery that is being discharged, wherein the first voltage threshold corresponds to a low capacity of the battery, and measuring a present voltage and a present current of the discharging battery. The method further includes re-scaling the present current based on the estimated first voltage threshold and the measured present voltage of the discharging battery, and calculating, based on re-scaling the measured present current, the battery's capacity before the present voltage level decreases below the first voltage threshold.

Battery capacity monitor

Dynamic rechargeable battery capacity monitor

According to one aspect there is disclosed an apparatus. The apparatus may include a first battery module. The first battery module may include a switch configured to open or close a first current path from a first terminal of a battery to a second terminal of the battery when a second battery module is coupled to the first battery module; a current sensor configured to sense a current in a second current path, the second current path different from the first current path; and a local controller configured to control a state of the switch to open or close the switch, wherein closing the switch is configured to close the first current path, the local controller is further configured to detect the sensed current in the second current path, and the local controller is further configured to receive and store an identifier based at least in part on the current detected in the second current path.

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Shanghai, China

Falong Li