US 12,482,869 B2
Equipment management via mesh network
Todd Johnson, Wauwatosa, WI (US); and Mark Noller, Milwaukee, WI (US)
Assigned to Briggs & Stratton, LLC, Wauwatosa, WI (US)
Appl. No. 17/797,575
Filed by Briggs & Stratton, LLC, Wauwatosa, WI (US)
PCT Filed Feb. 5, 2021, PCT No. PCT/IB2021/050966
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 4, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/156824, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 12, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/970,946, filed on Feb. 6, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0053421 A1, Feb. 23, 2023
Int. Cl. H04W 4/70 (2018.01); H01M 10/42 (2006.01); H01M 10/48 (2006.01); H01M 50/204 (2021.01); H01M 50/296 (2021.01); H02J 7/00 (2006.01); H04W 84/18 (2009.01)
CPC H01M 10/425 (2013.01) [H01M 10/482 (2013.01); H01M 50/204 (2021.01); H01M 50/296 (2021.01); H02J 7/0013 (2013.01); H04W 4/70 (2018.02); H01M 2010/4271 (2013.01); H01M 2010/4278 (2013.01); H04W 84/18 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A battery pack comprising:
a housing;
a plurality of rechargeable lithium-ion battery cells received within the housing;
a positive terminal and a negative terminal in selective communication with the plurality of rechargeable lithium-ion battery cells and configured to transmit electrical power from the rechargeable lithium-ion battery cells to a piece of equipment coupled with the battery pack;
a data terminal including a data pin configured to receive operational information from the piece of equipment coupled with the battery pack;
a battery management system configured to monitor the plurality of rechargeable lithium-ion battery cells and selectively couple the plurality of rechargeable lithium-ion battery cells to the positive terminal and the negative terminal to selectively permit electrical power to flow from the rechargeable lithium-ion battery cells to the positive terminal and the negative terminal; and
an Internet of Things (IoT) module in communication with the data terminal and the battery management system, the IoT module being configured to:
receive operational information about the piece of equipment from the data terminal;
receive operational information about the rechargeable lithium-ion battery cells from the battery management system; and
transmit the operational information about the piece of equipment and the operational information about the rechargeable lithium-ion battery cells via a network interface;
wherein the network interface is configured to communicate the operational information about the piece of equipment and the operational information about the rechargeable lithium-ion battery cells to a mesh network, wherein the network interface is configured to communicate over at least two different frequencies,
wherein the battery pack further comprises a near field communication (NFC) reader, the NFC reader configured to detect information from an NFC tag on the equipment, wherein the IoT module is configured to transmit the information from the NFC tag with the operational information about the equipment.