Battery Assemblies

Abstract

Electrical systems, power supply apparatuses, and power supply operational methods are described. According to one aspect, an electrical system includes an electrical entity configured to utilize electrical energy, and wherein the electrical entity comprises a communications interface, and a power supply apparatus configured to provide the electrical energy for use by the electrical entity, and wherein the power supply apparatus comprises a support system, a plurality of battery assemblies configured to be removably coupled with and supported by the support system, wherein individual ones of the battery assemblies comprise at least one rechargeable electrochemical device configured to provide the electrical energy, at least one power terminal configured to couple with the electrical entity and to provide the electrical energy from the electrochemical device to the electrical entity, and a communications interface configured to implement communications with the communications interface of the electrical entity, and wherein the electrical entity and the power supply apparatus are configured to implement the communications comprising at least one of status information regarding the power supply apparatus from the power supply apparatus to the electrical entity and a command regarding an operation of the power supply apparatus from the electrical entity to the power supply apparatus.

1 - 103 . (canceled) 
     
     
         104 . A battery assembly comprising:
 a plurality of rechargeable electrochemical devices individually configured to store electrical energy;   a power terminal configured to electrically couple with an electrical entity configured to utilize the electrical energy and to provide the electrical energy from the battery assembly to the electrical entity;   storage circuitry comprising a history of the battery assembly including status information regarding a characteristic of the battery assembly at a plurality of moments in time, wherein the history of the storage circuitry also includes temporal information comprising a plurality of temporal data entries which identify the plurality of moments in time when the status information regarding the characteristic of the battery assembly was acquired for the history; and   wherein the characteristic comprises a common characteristic of the rechargeable electrochemical devices, and the status information comprises different values of the characteristic corresponding to different individual ones of the rechargeable electrochemical devices of the battery assembly.   
     
     
         105 . The assembly of  claim 104  wherein an individual one of the rechargeable electrochemical devices is a cell of the battery assembly, wherein the values of the characteristic comprise values of the characteristic of the cells at the plurality of moments in time, and wherein the values of the characteristic corresponding to an individual one of the moments in time comprise values of the characteristic of respective ones of the cells of the battery assembly at the individual one of the moments in time. 
     
     
         106 . The assembly of  claim 104  wherein the battery assembly further comprises:
 a communications interface configured to output the status information externally of the battery assembly and to receive a command from externally of the battery assembly; and 
 control circuitry configured to control an operation of the battery assembly responsive to the command. 
 
     
     
         107 . The assembly of  claim 104  wherein the storage circuitry stores the values comprising capacity information of the individual ones of the rechargeable electrochemical devices. 
     
     
         108 . The assembly of  claim 104  wherein the storage circuitry stores the values comprising state of charge information of the individual ones of the rechargeable electrochemical devices. 
     
     
         109 . The assembly of  claim 104  wherein the storage circuitry stores the values comprising charge/discharge cycle information of the individual ones of the rechargeable electrochemical devices. 
     
     
         110 . The assembly of  claim 104  wherein the storage circuitry stores the values comprising charging current information of the individual ones of the rechargeable electrochemical devices. 
     
     
         111 . The assembly of  claim 104  wherein the storage circuitry stores the values comprising discharging current information of the individual ones of the rechargeable electrochemical devices. 
     
     
         112 . The assembly of  claim 104  wherein the storage circuitry stores the status information comprising temperature information of the battery assembly. 
     
     
         113 . The assembly of  claim 104  wherein one of the temporal data entries for an individual one of the moments in time is associated with the values of the characteristic for the rechargeable electrochemical devices at the individual one of the moments in time. 
     
     
         114 . The assembly of  claim 113  wherein the one of the temporal data entries comprises at least one of date and time information for the individual one of the moments in time. 
     
     
         115 . The assembly of  claim 104  wherein the storage circuitry stores the values at the plurality of moments in time which are determined according to a period. 
     
     
         116 . The assembly of  claim 104  wherein the storage circuitry stores the status information comprising a length of time of use of the battery assembly. 
     
     
         117 . The assembly of  claim 104  wherein the battery assembly further comprises a housing configured to house the rechargeable electrochemical devices and the storage circuitry, and wherein the power terminal is configured to conduct the electricity from the rechargeable electrochemical devices externally of the housing. 
     
     
         118 . The assembly of  claim 104  wherein the status information comprises different information regarding different characteristics of the different individual ones of the rechargeable electrochemical devices. 
     
     
         119 . The assembly of  claim 104  wherein some of the values of the characteristic represent values for one of the rechargeable electrochemical devices and others of the values of the characteristic represent values for an other of the rechargeable electrochemical devices.