Abstract: A battery monitor and cycle status indicator is disclosed. The battery monitor includes a voltage sensor capable of sensing the voltage between two nodes, for example, the positive and negative terminals of a battery. The voltage sensor is connected to an analog-to-digital converter which converts the analog voltage level sensed by the voltage sensor to a digital form. In turn, the analog-to-digital converter is coupled to a microprocessor. The microprocessor determines battery state-of-charge and historical values that relate to battery condition based upon the voltage levels provided by the analog-to-digital converter. The microprocessor is also coupled to a memory which stores battery history values computed by the microprocessor and program instructions for operation of the microprocessor. The battery monitor also includes a display that is capable of displaying battery state-of-charge and the historical values determined by the microprocessor.

Abstract: The housing may be quickly and easily assembled in a clam-shell manner. The housing includes a pair of half-shells with each having a tongue for connecting to a face plate and a locking mechanism for connecting the half-shells together. The tongues are inserted into a pair of tongue-receiving fulcrum structures of the plate so that the half-shells are positioned in an open clam-shell arrangement. To complete the connection and the formation of the housing, the half-shells are rotated towards each other until the locking mechanism of one of the half-shells fastens to the locking mechanism of the other half-shell. Furthermore, the housing provides a wall-mounting mechanism for releasably attaching the housing to a wall, wherein that mechanism has two operative positions, including locking and release positions. In the locking position, the wall-mounting mechanism securely mounts the housing to the wall, and in the release position, the housing is unmounted and removable from the wall.

Abstract: The apparatus and method of monitoring and/or indicating an accurate state-of-charge of a battery compensates for varying current loads and changing temperature conditions. The apparatus and method compensate for the Peukert Effect which manifests itself when varying current loads are applied to the battery. Also, the apparatus and method may compensate for temperature changes in the environment of the battery. The extent of the Peukert Effect and temperature variation on the battery is based on intrinsic characteristics of the battery which may be experimentally defined. Specifically, preferred apparatuses include memories for storing various discharging/charging related values and a processor to calculate and determine values related to accurately monitoring the battery's state-of-charge. Also, the apparatus may include a battery state-of-charge indicator including a multi-segmented, multi-color LED display.