Electrical power source for a firearm

Abstract

An electrical power source for a firearm includes a housing, one or more rechargeable power cells stored inside the housing, and a microcontroller unit that receives data on a condition of the one or more rechargeable power cells. A network interface controller embeds the data onto an electrical circuit that is configured to be received by a firearm accessory mounted to the firearm. The data embedded on the electrical circuit is usable by the firearm accessory to provide a status of the electrical power source.

1 . A firearm comprising:
 an upper receiver;   a conductive strip connected to the upper receiver, and   a lower receiver attached to the upper receiver, the lower receiver having an electrical power source supplying electrical power and data to the conductive strip, the data providing a status of the electrical power source.   
     
     
         2 . The firearm of  claim 1 , further comprising a communications module connected to the conductive strip, the communications module being configured to transmit the status off the firearm to an external network. 
     
     
         3 . The firearm of  claim 1 , further comprising an optical sight connected to the conductive strip, the optical sight being configured to display the status on an image of a target. 
     
     
         4 . The firearm of  claim 1 , wherein the electrical power source includes a digital display that displays the status on a housing of the electrical power source. 
     
     
         5 . The firearm of  claim 1 , wherein the status includes at least one of a discharging or charging state, a charge level, a time remaining before the charge level is depleted, and a state of health of the electrical power source. 
     
     
         6 . The firearm of  claim 5 , wherein the time remaining before the charge level is depleted is dynamically updated based on power demands of a firearm accessory receiving the electrical power from the electrical power source. 
     
     
         7 . The firearm of  claim 1 , wherein the electrical power source is configured to receive wireless charging while being stored inside the lower receiver. 
     
     
         8 . The firearm of  claim 1 , wherein the electrical power source includes:
 a housing;   one or more rechargeable power cells stored inside the housing;   a microcontroller unit receiving the data further including a condition of the one or more rechargeable power cells; and   a network interface controller receiving the data from the microcontroller unit, and the network interface controller embedding the data onto an electrical circuit that is configured for connection to a firearm accessory when the firearm accessory is mounted to the firearm, and wherein the data embedded on the electrical circuit is usable by the firearm accessory to provide the status of the electrical power source.   
     
     
         9 . The firearm of  claim 8 , wherein the electrical power source further includes:
 a digital display provided on the housing, the digital display being configured to display the status of the electrical power source.   
     
     
         10 . The firearm of  claim 8 , wherein the electrical power source further includes:
 a monitoring circuit configured to detect events that can cause damage to the one or more rechargeable power cells, and wherein the monitoring circuit transmits detected events for storage in a memory of the microcontroller unit.   
     
     
         11 . The firearm of  claim 10 , wherein the monitoring circuit includes a temperature sensor to determine whether the one or more rechargeable power cells exceed a predetermined temperature during charging or discharging, and the monitoring circuit triggers the microcontroller unit to stop charging or discharging the one or more rechargeable power cells when the one or more rechargeable power cells exceed the predetermined temperature. 
     
     
         12 . The firearm of  claim 10 , wherein the monitoring circuit is configured to detect short circuiting, and the monitoring circuit triggers the microcontroller unit to stop charging or discharging the one or more rechargeable power cells when there is a short circuit. 
     
     
         13 . The firearm of  claim 8 , wherein the electrical power source further includes a latch configured to secure the electrical power source inside the lower receiver of the firearm, and wherein the latch includes a lever that is operable to release the electrical power source from the lower receiver. 
     
     
         14 . The firearm of  claim 13 , wherein the electrical power source is configured to receive wireless charging while being stored inside the lower receiver. 
     
     
         15 . The firearm of  claim 8 , wherein the status of the electrical power source includes at least one of a discharging or charging state, a charge level, a time remaining before the charge level is depleted, and a state of health of the electrical power source. 
     
     
         16 - 20 . (canceled)