US 2018/0006473 A1Published application

Ensuring backward compatibility in battery authentication applications

AssigneeInfineon Technologies AG

InventorsRenato Bessegato, Mohit Berry, Yiming Tang

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Abstract

A system and method to identify whether a removable battery pack inserted into a battery-powered device is an authorized battery pack for the device. Battery-powered devices may include a battery-powered drill, saw, flashlight or other type of device. The battery-powered device may send an authentication query to the battery pack. If the battery-powered device does not receive a valid reply from the battery pack, the battery-powered device may verify that the battery-powered device is still within a phase-out period that allows the battery-powered device to use a battery pack with an invalid authentication. If the phase-out period has expired, the battery-powered device may disable the use of the battery pack with an invalid authentication. If the phase-out period is still running, the battery-powered device may allow the use of the battery pack with an invalid authentication, but only for a limited number of battery pack recharge cycles.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method comprising:

sending, by a processor of a battery-powered device, an inquiry message to a removable battery pack coupled to the battery-powered device, wherein the removable battery pack comprises a battery power cell and at least one authentication component;
waiting, by the processor, for a predetermined time to receive a reply from the at least one authentication component;
in response to receiving the reply from the at least one authentication component, determining, by the processor, whether the reply from the at least one authentication component is a valid reply;
in response to determining, by the processor, that the reply from the at least one authentication component is a valid reply, enabling, by the processor, the operation of the battery-powered device;
in response to determining, by the processor, that the reply from the at least one authentication component is an invalid reply, determining, by the processor, whether a phase-out period for the removable battery pack has expired;
and
in response to determining that the phase-out period for the removable battery pack has expired, disabling, by the processor, the operation of the battery-powered device.

4 more elements

A system comprising,

a battery-powered device, wherein the battery-powered device includes an operational component and at least one processor;
a removable battery pack, wherein the removable battery pack includes at least one battery cell and at least one authentication component;
and
wherein the processor is configured to:
send an inquiry message to the at least one authentication component;
wait for a predetermined time to receive the reply from the at least one authentication component;
in response to receiving the reply from the at least one authentication component, determine whether the reply is a valid reply;
in response to determining that the reply is a valid reply, enable the operation of the battery-powered device;
in response to determining that the reply from the at least one authentication component is an invalid reply, determine whether a phase-out period for the removable battery pack has expired;
and
in response to determining that the phase-out period for the removable battery pack has expired disable the operation of the battery-powered device.

8 more elements

A battery-powered system comprising:

means for sending an inquiry message from a battery-powered device to a removable battery pack coupled to the battery-powered device, wherein the removable battery pack comprises a battery power cell and at least one authentication component;
means for waiting for a predetermined time to receive a reply from the at least one authentication component;
in response to receiving the reply from the at least one authentication component, means for determining whether the reply from the at least one authentication component is a valid reply;
in response to determining that the reply from the at least one authentication component is a valid reply, means for enabling the operation of the battery-powered device;
in response to determining that the reply from the at least one authentication component is an invalid reply, wherein the invalid reply includes no reply from the at least one authentication component, means for determining whether a phase-out period for the removable battery pack has expired;
and
in response to determining that the phase-out period for the removable battery pack has expired, means for disabling the operation of the battery-powered device.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.