Battery drain kill feature in a battery powered device

A medical instrument, comprising:

• a battery discharge circuit coupled to an RF generation circuit;
• a processor coupled to the battery discharge circuit;
• a memory coupled to the processor, the memory stores computer instructions that when executed cause the processor to send a signal to the battery discharge circuit to discharge a battery coupled to the battery discharge circuit;
• and
• an output sensing circuit comprising a dummy load and coupled to the processor, wherein the output sensing circuit is configured to verify output current and output voltage sensing functions,
• wherein the processor is configured to:
• measure a first battery current;
• apply a second battery current to the dummy load;
• measure the second battery current after the second battery current is applied to the dummy load;
• and
• determine energy sufficiency in the battery to proceed based on the measured first battery current and the measured second battery current.

A method of discharging a battery in a medical instrument comprising a battery discharge circuit coupled to an RF generation circuit, a processor coupled to the battery discharge circuit, and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory stores computer instructions that when executed control the operation of the processor, the method comprising:

• monitoring battery capacity by the processor;
• sending a signal by the processor to the battery discharge circuit to discharge the battery coupled to the battery discharge circuit when the battery capacity falls below a predetermined threshold;
• verifying output current and output voltage sensing functions by an output sensing circuit comprising a dummy load and coupled to the processor;
• measuring by the processor a first battery current;
• applying by the processor a second battery current to a dummy load;
• measuring by the processor the second battery current applied to the dummy load;
• and
• determining by the processor energy sufficiency in the battery to proceed based on the measured first battery current and the measured second battery current.